Marion Edmunds
Despairing of the difficult conditions under which they work, a number of=
parliamentary officials are seeking relief from the long, hard days in song=
More than a hundred parliamentary officials have formed a choir, and have=
already had two practices.=20 The chairperson of the new choir, Hansard official Marina Griebenow, said=
she had thought that establishing a choir might help to bring the hard- pressed and diverse parliamentary staff together in a relaxed and informal=
Griebenow said that the choir would have its official launch in October and=
would then have to work very hard on a repertoire. Griebenow said that they wanted to sing songs that reflected all cultures i=
South Africa. In the meantime, the choir has already had one performance. In the first=20 week, one of its members died and the choir sang at his funeral. In the=20 spirit of the interim constitution, members sang the hymn, Abide with Me,=
in three official languages: English, Afrikaans and Xhosa. MPs and senators are not allowed to join the choir because they are not at=
Parliament all year round.