New Zimbabwe Parliament Building is the seat of the

Parliament of Zimbabwe The Parliament of Zimbabwe is the bicameral legislature of Zimbabwe composed of the Senate and the National Assembly. The Senate is the upper house, and consists of 80 members, 60 of whom are elected by proportional representation from ten six-m ...

, located in Mount Hampden,

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

, built to replace the old

Parliament House Parliament House may refer to: Meeting places of parliament Australia * Parliament House, Canberra, Parliament of Australia * Parliament House, Adelaide, Parliament of South Australia * Parliament House, Brisbane, Parliament of Queensland * P ...

Harare Harare ( ), formerly Salisbury, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of , a population of 1,849,600 as of the 2022 Zimbabwe census, 2022 census and an estimated 2,487,209 people in its metrop ...

. The parliamentary chambers within the high-rise building can accommodate up to 650 legislators, their offices, conference rooms and meeting spaces. The engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract was awarded to

Shanghai Construction Group Shanghai Construction (Group) Corporation (SCG) is a Chinese construction and engineering company, ranked as the 16th largest construction company in the world based on 2011 revenues. The group's listed arm Shanghai Construction Group Co., Ltd. ...

, who erected the building between December 2018 and April 2022.

Location

The building is located on a piece of land, in the community of Mount Hampden, in

Mashonaland West Province Mashonaland West is a province of Zimbabwe. It has an area of 57,441 km² and a population of approximately 1.9 million (2022). Chinhoyi is the capital of the province. Demographics Geography Districts Mashonaland West is divid ...

, approximately northwest of

, the capital and largest city in the country.

Overview

Under construction since November 2018, the office complex consists of six floors, arranged in concentric circles around a central parliamentary chamber with a seating capacity of 650 people. When finished, the entire complex will comprise approximately of office space. Exterior surface parking for 800 vehicles will be provided in the development. The construction was funded with a US$140 million grant by the

Government of China The government of the People's Republic of China is based on a system of people's congress within the parameters of a unitary communist state, in which the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) enacts its policies through people's congresses. ...

to the Zimbabwean Government.

History

Zimbabwe's first parliamentary building was constructed in the late 19th century by the colonial rulers of the country. That building had a capacity of 100 legislators. The old building was too small for the 350 legislators and estimated 248 support staff, as of July 2020. The idea of relocating parliament to this site was first conceived in 1983. The construction plans for the new building were approved in October 2017. Construction began in November 2018.

, one of the largest construction companies in the world, was awarded the EPC contract at a monetary price of US$140 million. The building was constructed by the Chinese government as an infrastructure gift. The completed and furnished parliament building complex was officially handed over by a Chinese government delegation to the government of Zimbabwe on 26 October 2023. The president of Zimbabwe,

Emmerson Mnangagwa Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa ( , ; born 15 September 1942) is a Zimbabwean politician who has served as the president of Zimbabwe since 2017. A member of ZANU–PF and a longtime ally of former president Robert Mugabe, he held a series of cabin ...

received the building on behalf of his government and country. Originally valued at US$100 million, the value in September 2023 was reported as about US$200 million, by Zimbabwean media.

Other developments

The Government of Zimbabwe has ambitions to turn Mount Hampden into a

satellite city A satellite city or satellite town is a smaller municipality or settlement that is part of (or on the edge of) a larger metropolitan area and serves as a regional population and employment center. It differs from mere suburbs, Subdivision (la ...

by relocating the judiciary and government ministries to this location in the future. The new Zimbabwe Parliament Building is expected to stimulate the construction of new residences and commercial development in the neighborhood.

References

External links