THE Pan-African Parliament at Gallagher Estate in Midrand will soon be completed — at a cost of R70m — and be ready for its first session later this year.

Gallagher was chosen ahead of the Sandton Convention Centre to become the parliament’s temporary home for five years, until a permanent building is constructed.

Gallagher MD Andrew Dunkley says the rental agreement with the public works department on behalf of the foreign affairs department began yesterday.

The parliament will include a permanent secretariat housed at Gallagher Estate. Parliamentary sittings will take place there at least twice a year.

Dunkley says the office block — which will cater for the full secretariat, as well as the 265 parliamentarians when they arrive for sittings — has been completed.

The office block stood unfinished as a concrete shell for most of the past decade.

The completed office block includes Hansard transcription rooms, translation rooms, interpretation booths and logistic offices, which will be used from a "support staffing point of view during sittings".

"They (foreign affairs) will come in and put in the communication infrastructure," Dunkley says.

Foreign affairs will also put in place security measures and the accreditation infrastructure.

Gallagher Estate is also close to completing a new parliamentary chamber that will accommodate 1000 people.

"The chamber also comprises extensive broadcast and television production studios to enable filming of the sittings," says Dunkley.

The chamber is about 85% complete and is due to be handed over on April 1.

Gallagher Estate has created the Pan-African Parliament’s own parliamentary precinct, which includes a gatehouse, accreditation centre, the office building and parliamentary chamber.