Pretoria - The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms Sue van der Merwe on Monday, 23 April 2007 announced the launch of a continent-wide competition  for accredited African architects and designers to submit proposals for the construction of what  has been described as a uniquely African parliament.

Following a meeting with Minister of Public Works, Ms Thoko Didiza, whose department is the lead government agency of the project and the clerk of the Pan African Parliament, Mr Murumba Werunga, representing the President of the Pan-African Parliament, Dr Gertrude Mongella in Pretoria, during which final details of the competition were worked out,  Deputy Minister Van der Merwe said;

 “We are quite excited about the launch of the competition for a design befitting what President Thabo Mbeki described as ‘The African Parliament of Liberators’ at the inauguration of the temporary premises of the Pan African Parliament in Gallagher Estate, two and a half years ago.”

Minister Didiza further explained that the launch of the competition, which closes on 31 May 2007, will be run in two stages according to UNESCO guidelines. The first stage being the submission of concept drawings and sketches, accompanied by a report communicating key aspects in the design of the site as a whole and for all buildings. The first round of judging occurred and resulted in a shortlist of 5 finalists.  The second stage of judging will take place between the 17 and 19 October 2007 with the winner to be announced on 26 October 2007.  A selection of the entries, including the winner, will be posted on the PAP website and a PAP competition booklet will be published shortly thereafter.

Deputy Minister Van der Merwe in making the announcement emphasised that;” The design competition was a continuation of a process to which we committed ourselves as South Africa, when we humbly accepted the honour to host the Pan-African Parliament at the African Union Summit in Ethiopia on 18 March 2004. A commitment that will culminate in a construction of a permanent state of the art structure to house a truly African Parliament.”

In line with the Host Agreement, South Africa has followed a two-phased approach in hosting the African Parliament. The first phase being a temporary structure at Gallagher Estate and the second phase initiated by the design competition for a permanent Parliament, aptly described by the President of the Pan-African Parliament, Dr Gertrude Mongella as “a parliament in which the voices of all Africans will be heard.”

In this regard the launch of the design competition puts paid to the vision of the South African government, when at  its inception Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma,said,

” The creation of the Pan-African Parliament is the manifestation of the will of the African people to foster greater unity and economic integration on the continent and to mobilise its human and natural resources in order to meet the challenges of globalisation and better the lives of all its peoples.” 


For more information on the competition go to http://www.PAPcompetition.co.za