Current location:travel >>
China to hand over completed new parliament building to Zimbabwe
travel3People have gathered around
IntroductionPhoto taken on June 29, 2022 shows the Senate chamber in Zimbabwe's new parliament building on Mount ...
Photo taken on June 29, 2022 shows the Senate chamber in Zimbabwe's new parliament building on Mount Hampden Hill, Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe's new parliament building, constructed and fully funded by China as a gift to the southern African country, is now complete and ready for occupation. (Photo by Shaun Jusa/Xinhua)
by Gretinah Machingura, Tafara Mugwara
HARARE, June 29 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwe's new parliament building, constructed and fully funded by China as a gift to the southern African country, is now complete and ready for occupation.
It took 42 months to complete the project, instead of the original 32-month timeframe due to COVID-19 disruptions. Construction began in November 2018.
Sitting on the historical Mount Hampden Hill, about 18 km northwest of Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, the six-story building is a fine piece of magnificent architecture that fuses both Zimbabwean and Chinese characteristics.
Shanghai Construction Group Company, the contractor, on Wednesday conducted a guided media tour of the building ahead of its official handover to the Zimbabwean government in the near future.
SCG project manager Cai Libo said the completion of the project was a major milestone for the China-Zimbabwe friendship which continues to blossom.
"There will be no doubt that the new parliament building will become a landmark building in Zimbabwe and even in the whole of southern Africa," Cai said. "The project commenced on Nov. 30, 2018, and was completed on May 27, 2022, and we spent 42 months completing this project. From 2020 we faced a lot of challenges due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. We were supposed to complete this project last year but we were delayed because of the COVID pandemic but now, we have come to the end and are waiting to hand over this building to the Zimbabwean government."
The new parliament building was one of the most important projects in China-Africa cooperation, aimed at strengthening friendship and solidarity between the people of Zimbabwe and China while improving facilities in parliament for better service to Zimbabwean people, he said.
"The project strongly supports democracy in Zimbabwe while boosting the country's image," Cai said.
Completion of the new parliament building, which borrows heavily from the iconic Great Zimbabwe ruins, also heralds the start of a new capital city as the Zimbabwean government plans to put up off-site infrastructure such as residential areas, shopping centers and access roads to establish a self-contained new city to decongest the capital Harare.
The government also plans to put up structures for two other arms of the state -- the executive and the judiciary in Mount Hampden.
The imposing building has a combined floor space of 33,000 square meters, with two main sections -- a six-story office building and a four-story parliament building. The office building and parliament building are connected by three bridges on each floor.
With the current parliament building having been built during the colonial era and now old and small to accommodate parliament business, the National Assembly at the new parliament building has more than enough space, with a capacity of 400 seats against the 270 House of Assembly members. The new Senate chamber has a capacity of 150 seats, against the current 80 Senate members. The new structure has extra facilities for conferencing, 15 committee rooms and adequate space for office staff and parking.
The office building contains 600 rooms, including offices for VIP, Members of Parliament and parliament officials.
In total, the building has the capacity to accommodate 1,000 people.
Cai said skills sharing and transfer were one of the hallmarks of the project.
"This building is a landmark building in Zimbabwe. This is a show of solid friendship between China and Zimbabwe. This is a gift from the Chinese government to the Zimbabwean government. It was funded by China Aid funds, it's a grant to Zimbabwe and not a loan so there is no payment to be made in the future. All Members of Parliament will use this building and parliamentarians serve the whole nation and therefore this is a gift to the whole nation," Cai said. ■
A man walks past Zimbabwe's new parliament building on Mount Hampden Hill, Zimbabwe, on June 29, 2022. Zimbabwe's new parliament building, constructed and fully funded by China as a gift to the southern African country, is now complete and ready for occupation. (Photo by Shaun Jusa/Xinhua)
Tags:
Reprint:Friends are welcome to share on the Internet, but please indicate the source of the article when reprinting it.“Stellar Station news portal”。http://tonga.downmusic.org/html-4c099921.html
Related articles
Not so Cool Britannia! Noel Gallagher gives damning verdict on Keir Starmer
travelNoel Gallagher has insisted he would still back Tony Blair for PM - as he warned Keir Starmer not to ...
【travel】
Read moreRangers' reliever Burke breaks his non
travelHOUSTON (AP) — Texas Rangers reliever Brock Burke broke his non-throwing hand while punching a wall ...
【travel】
Read moreIndia's top court refuses to hold appointment of election commissioners
travel(Xinhua) 10:34, March 22, 2024NEW DELHI, March 21 (Xinhua) -- India's top court Thursday once again ...
【travel】
Read more
Popular articles
- Cruise worker 'murders newborn son on board ship': Shocked co
- Xi: Accelerate upgrading of industries
- Chinese path to modernization carries global significance (7)
- Feature: China
- Ben Whishaw lights up the Croisette as he joins his co
- Varsho hits 2nd career slam, Rodríguez fans 6 in debut as Blue Jays beat Rockies 5
Latest articles
Red Lobster seeks bankruptcy protection after closing some restaurants
Senior CPC official stresses study of Xi's works
Pitt modernized its offense over the winter. The growing pains will be felt for a while
Hamas says UNSC resolution demanding Gaza truce shows Israel's isolation
Adams, Reyna, Turner, Ream are US concerns ahead of Copa America
Chinese vice premier stresses flood safety, manufacturing innovation
LINKS
- Bradley Cooper the doting dad holds hands with daughter Lea De Seine, seven
- Cobra Kai trailer features new footage from the sixth and final season that is split into a three
- Adin Hill flashes old playoff form as Golden Knights beat Stars 2
- Afghanistan's only female diplomat resigns in India after gold smuggling allegations
- The Canucks ready for all
- Ben Yedder scores two as Monaco beats Clermont 4
- Escaped zebra captured near Seattle after gallivanting around Cascade mountain foothills for days
- Israel has briefed US on plan to evacuate Palestinian civilians ahead of potential Rafah operation
- Arsenal keeps up Premier League title push with 3
- What DO cicadas do? Everything you need to know about sex