Hi-tech Tshwane council chamber has numerous glitches

By Rapula Moatshe

March 29, 2019

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The parliamentarians were relatively calm, with no unnecessary interruptions or disputes.

The spacious auditorium is equipped with folding chairs and built-in wooden tables.

However, the seating design makes it difficult for members to stand when they have to speak in the House of Representatives.

Speaker Kathego Mathebe pointed out the challenge of sitting and made exceptions to the rule that requires members to stand when speaking. In the rest of the meeting, parliamentarians spoke as they took their seats.

The new working environment has brought challenges to more than 200 parliamentarians, who are still learning how to use audio equipment.

The venue has a high-tech system that cannot be used because some MPs still need to train it.

Compared with the old assembly hall on Sammy Marks Square, the new facility of Tshwane House is located at the corner of Madiba and Lillian Ngoyi streets, with a modern appearance and energy-efficient lighting.

The disadvantage of the darkroom is the media library, which is not user-friendly at all. Reporters in the media center can only see the MPs through the glass, which makes it difficult for photographers to take pictures.

Yesterday, reporters were asked to use a public gallery, which did not provide a favorable working space. People only have two plugs to charge laptops and other electronic devices.

Tiyiselani Babane, the strategic director of the Speaker’s Office, previously stated that the delay in moving the board's activities to Tshwane House was due to the lack of conference equipment such as microphones and Wi-Fi facilities.

The contractor who built the headquarters did not install the conference equipment because they were not part of the contract.

Tshwane House was built in Munich, the municipal headquarters for many years, and was destroyed by a fire in 1997.

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