Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa will on Wednesday November 23, 2022, deliver his state of the nation address (SONA) during the opening of the fifth session of the ninth parliament, in a building built and donated by the Chinese.
A day later, his finance minister, Mthuli Ncube, will present the 2023 budget at the same venue.
In the past, Mnangagwa addressed the nation from his official state residency, the State House, and the budget was presented in the old parliament building in Harare.
The SONA will be the first time the R3.6 billion building, built by the Shanghai Construction Group (SCG) and funded by the Chinese government, opens for business.
Government spokesperson Nick Mangwana tweeted that the official opening of the building “will happen on a day to be announced in the future”.
The ninth parliament will be the last before Zimbabwe goes for general elections next year.
There’s a six-storey building for government offices, and a four-storey structure that will house the senate and national assembly.
The buildings lie on 33 000 square metres in Mount Hampden, a satellite city under construction about 20km east of Harare.
The national assembly has a capacity of 400 people while the senate can take 150.
There are 15 committee rooms, a conference centre, and 600 offices to be occupied by parliamentarians and supporting staff.
It took three-and-a-half years to complete because of a delay due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
It’s the second infrastructure gift for Zimbabwe from China after the National Sports Stadium was handed over in 1987.