MPs flats 'dilapidated'

BAME PIET
Staff Writer | Tuesday September 2, 2008 00:00

 

Clerk of the National Assembly, Enerst Mpofu, said on Friday that it is not only the parliamentary houses that are dilapidated, but the parliament buildings also. 

He said they regularly carry out minor maintenance but there is need for major repairs.  
'We initially thought that the whole maintenance would cost around P15 million but we have decided to engage the services of a consultant, the Department of Building and Engineering Services (DBES), to assess the whole situation and give advice,' he said.

He said it is convenient to carry out a major renovation when the houses are vacated.
MPs recently complained that their flats at the parliamentary village are falling apart. 
They said that ceilings are falling down and the roofs are leaking, to the extent that they curse the rainy season. 

Every time it rains they have to move their beds around and scatter bowls around the house to collect the 'storm water', they complained. Some have had to move out of the flats fearing that one day they will collapse on their families. Mpofu said he was not aware of any MP who has relocated from the flats for fear of the floods. 

He said he knows that all 44 flats are occupied and that only a few MPs opted to stay out because they needed more spacious houses.

He said that there are only two or three flats that are unoccupied but utilised by other government officials, either as temporary accommodation or offices.