Rebuilding the People’s Parliament more than two years after fire

CAPE TOWN - More than two years after Parliament was gutted in a fire, the building has finally been handed over to a contractor to begin the first phase of rebuilding. 

For six months after the blaze, the National Assembly and parts of the Old Assembly were inaccessible and declared a crime scene.

Only one man - Zandile Mafe - was arrested and charged with terrorism and arson before later being declared medically unfit to stand trial. 

READ: PARLIAMENT FINANCIAL WOES | R800M TO BE CUT FROM BUDGET

The fire gutted the chamber, committee rooms and offices of members of Parliament. 

But of the 210 offices, 155 have been restored so far. 

About R3-billion is expected to be spent on a people’s Parliament with world-class facilities, including state-of-the-art broadcasting infrastructure.

• eNCA's Ayesha Ismail reports.