Construction teams working on the expansion of the Cape Town International Convention Centre have discovered part of the old Cape Town harbour pier.
The discovery was made during underground work on the foreshore for a tunnel connecting the new building to the existing one.
Centre CEO Julie-May Ellingson said work on the tunnel had been halted temporarily.
"Our contractor uncovered a portion of the historic Cape Town harbour pier, so construction had to be put on hold while our archaeologist assessed the historical value of the pier as well as options to preserve it," Ellingson said.
"Following consultation with, and approval from, Heritage Western Cape to proceed, we removed a portion of the pier for preservation."
Additional support was needed for the side walls of the tunnel, and construction was delayed for two months.
The 13,000m2 extension is due to be opened in June.
The harbour pier was built at the bottom of Heerengracht in 1910 and included a pavilion in which ballets and concerts were performed.
It became a nonracial gathering point but in 1939 was demolished to make way for the reclamation of the foreshore from the sea.
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