The South African government is pondering relocating parliament from Cape town to Pretoria, President Jacob Zuma said on Tuesday.
Zuma said this as he answered questions from members of parliament in the National Council of Provinces, saying the issue was already being analyzed by various government departments.
According to President Zuma, the reason for the relocation is to save money as the cost of maintaining two capitals – Pretoria as the executive capital and Cape Town as the legislative capital – is huge.
He also added that having two capitals forces the executive to move up and down, not staying in one place to do their government duties.
Social impact studies have been done to determine the impact of moving Parliament. Studies conducted in 1995, 1997 and 2011 showed that the cost of relocation will be less than maintaining the status quo.
The ruling African National Congress (ANC) strongly advocates the relocation of Parliament, saying that the sooner, the better.
