The City of Cape Town’s City Hall will not be available from September 2017 to June 2018, owing to extensive upgrades. However, the municipal court on the ground floor will not be affected and will continue operations as per normal.
Built in 1905, the iconic City Hall building is in need of urgent repairs and upgrades due to the ageing infrastructure.
Extensive work will be undertaken in the auditorium and will include the following:
- Replacing the existing seating.
- Restoration of the floor.
- Repairs to the stage and backstage area.
- Restoration of all the mouldings.
- Painting of the auditorium.
- Installation of mechanical ventilation.
- Installation of a public address system.
The repairs are also necessary to ensure that the City Hall is compliant in terms of the national safety regulations as stipulated in the Safety at Sports and Recreational Events Act.
“The building is more than 100 years old, therefore the repairs and restoration work have become quite urgent. The only way the work can be done is to close down the venue to allow the restorers to undertake the work uninterrupted and with great care. We also need to optimize our key strategic assets as outlined in the City’s Organisational Development and Transformation Plan. Achieving optimal use means ensuring that the venue is maintained to a standard. There is increasing interest in this iconic building as a venue for a variety of events,” said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Assets and Facilities Management, Councillor Stuart Diamond.
All of this additional work will cost in the region of R27 million, which will be spread across a three-year period.