South African Parliament Building Razed By Fire
A fire broke out in
the South African parliament building in Cape Town. The fire gutted an entire
floor building that led to the collapse of the roof.
The fire which broke
out on Sunday morning, 2nd of January is reported to have severely
damaged the old assembly wing, including the chamber.
The spokesperson to the parliament Moloto Mothapo, revealed in a statement that the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.
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It read;
“Parliament’s Presiding Officers
wish to confirm the breakout of a fire on the Parliamentary precinct this
morning.
“The cause of the fire has not yet
been established and investigations are underway by the relevant authorities.
“The fire has affected both the Old
Assembly Wing and the National Assembly Wing of the buildings of Parliament,
which house the chambers of the National Assembly and the National Council of
Provinces.
“The fire has been contained in the
old wing. Firefighters are currently trying to control the fire in the New
Wing, where the fire has affected the National Assembly Chamber.
“National Assembly Speaker, Ms.
Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, and Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces,
Mr. Amos Masondo, have expressed their appreciation to the City of Cape Town
Fire and Rescue Services for their prompt reaction and the work done thus far
to contain the fire and limit the damage as much as possible.
“The Department of Public Works and
Infrastructure, led by Minister Patricia De Lille, the Deputy Minister of State
Security Zizi Kodwa, the South African Police Services and security personnel
of Parliament are in the Parliamentary Precinct assessing the situation.
“No person has been injured. The
Presiding Officers of Parliament are distressed by this incident and the extent
of the damage caused thus far to the precincts of the seat of the national
legislature.
“They have
urged all relevant authorities to leave no stone unturned in establishing the
cause of the fire. The public will be kept updated.”
The South
African President while visiting the scene said that a person was being held
and being questioned by the police in connection with the blaze.
A cape town Mayoral committee member named
Jean-Pierre Smith who is responsible for safety and security said that the roof
of the old building collapsed and that the third floor which also included the
office space and the gym was gutted with fire.
