Dear Editor
The Democratic Alliance (DA) will call on Minister Lamola and DIRCO to halt the Randjesfontein Pan-African Parliament (PAP) project. South Africa can no longer justify funding a vanity project that has already wasted over R100 million while delivering nothing tangible.
For 21 years, the PAP has been hosted at Gallagher Estate at a cost of R3.2 million per month, yet a permanent home has never been built. The decision to host the PAP in South Africa, made during the excitement of the 2010 Soccer World Cup, now appears shortsighted. More than two decades later, the promise of a permanent site remains unfulfilled.
In 2020, former Minister Pandor proposed a ‘soil turning’ event to mark South Africa’s chairing of the African Union. The Committee warned that the Randjesfontein site was wetlands and the project unlikely to succeed, but the concerns were ignored. Five years later, the land remains undeveloped.
Practical alternatives, such as renovating the DBSA building to host the PAP, were never considered, with officials insisting they had powers beyond the Committee. Excuses around wetlands, land rehabilitation, disputed claims, and endangered species have repeatedly delayed progress while public funds continue to be wasted.
The DA believes that allowing other countries to host the PAP could finally prevent further waste. With electricity crises, rising fuel costs, job losses, and service delivery failures, South Africa cannot afford to fund a project that only serves the image of a few ANC leaders.
Funds earmarked for Randjesfontein should instead be redirected to urgent priorities that improve the daily lives of South Africans, keeping the lights on, addressing strikes, and supporting businesses.
Regards
Mergan Chetty MP
DA Deputy Spokesperson on International Relations & Cooperation