South Africa has got the blessing of its regional partners to become the seat of the proposed Pan African Parliament (PAP).
Success in this quest will depend on defeating Libya, which has made a claim for the honour, and African apathy to the idea of such a forum.
Moammar Gadaffi’s team left the inaugural African Union summit in Durban last year insisting that they had been assured that the PAP would come their way.
The delicious irony of having a country without its own Parliament become the seat of the continent’s legislature was not lost on those seeking a new-look Africa.
Cooler heads in the European capitals pointed out, however, that this was not a rush job.
It took decades for the European Parliament to evolve, so early runners for its African counterpart could be taken with a pinch of salt.
Frene Ginwala, the Speaker of the South African Parliament, is proving to be a substantial contender in the quest to house the PAP, however.
She made an impassioned plea at the Durban summit for members to ratify the instruments for the PAP so that it could become a reality.
By October last year the South African Parliament had passed a resolution urging the executive to make the play to house the PAP.
The Cabinet soon accepted the task and sought support from the 14-nation South African Development Community (SADC).
That support has now been assured, say diplomats within the grouping.
To succeed, South Africa will need to secure the backing from three more of the continent’s regional groups.
Libya, meanwhile, will press its North African neighbours to ensure the PAP comes to Sirte, the purpose-built administrative town along the coast from Tripoli where Gaddafi has pitched his tent in the desert.
Ginwala has also stolen a march by setting up a steering committee to get support for the concept of the PAP.
“Very little more can happen until we get the required ratification for the instruments,” she said last week.
At least 27 of the 53 AU members need to ratify.
This requires getting Cabinet approval and the official legal advice before going into the parliamentary committee process and finally driving through the legislation.
Ironically, undemocratic African countries would be able to short-circuit much of this — provided, of course, they want an African parliament.
“At the moment there are 15 or 16 ratifications,” said Ginwala. “But the pressure is on to have the required number by the time of the second AU summit in Mozambique in July.”
The seat of the PAP is not likely to be at the top of the summit agenda.
It will, however, provide an interesting test of South Africa’s popularity once it relinquishes the presidency of the AU.
Ginwala’s considerable international influence will continue to play in South Africa’s favour. Weekly, parliamentarians from around the world visit her to exchange ideas and express admiration for South African democratic transformation.
As more of these officials become African parliamentarians, the chances of bringing the PAP here will increase.
Domestically, that is only half the battle. The question is, if we get it, where do we put it?
With the Cape Town/Pretoria dispute yet unresolved, the PAP could become an interesting new element in our own north-south rivalry.