Cape Town: A major fire severely damaged South Africa’s Parliament complex on Sunday where several offices were gutted in the blaze while some ceilings collapsed at the site. The fire has affected both the Old Assembly Wing and the National Assembly Wing of the buildings of the parliament, which house the National Assembly and the upper chamber of National Council of Provinces, the parliament said in a statement.
Video footage showed a dark plume of smoke and flames rose high into the air above the southern city of Cape Town. Officials said the fire started in the Old Assembly building, which was built in 1884 and originally housed the South African Parliament but is now used for offices. It spread to the newer National Assembly building, built in the 1980s, which is where the Parliament now sits. Authorities feared extensive damage to both buildings, which have stark white facades, elaborate roof linings and majestic columns, now all obscured by flames and smoke. There were also fears that priceless artifacts inside, including a manuscript where the composer first wrote some lyrics for South Africa’s national anthem, would be lost forever.
#BREAKING: Firefighters are battling a large fire that has ripped through the Houses of Parliament in Cape Town, South Africa
"There have been reports of some walls showing cracks, which could indicate a collapse” Jermaine Carelse, of CT fire servicepic.twitter.com/LZTNH0Dzmu
— Stefan Simanowitz (@StefSimanowitz) January 2, 2022
#BREAKING#SouthAfrica Parliament in Cape Town is on fire. pic.twitter.com/kLqRDowwVc
— 🟣 Mr. Tshweu (@TshweuMoleme) January 2, 2022
South Africa Prez visits spot, vows deep probe
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who visited the scene, vowed “deep investigation”. He said a person is being held in connection to the fire at the parliament complex that has hosted some of the country’s pivotal moments.
“We need to go a lot deeper, a lot deeper into how this type of event can take place and what measures we will need to take going forward,” Cyril Ramaphosa addressed media outside the parliament, news agency IANS reported.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa (Photo: AFP)
The president said the fire first started at the hall of the old assembly building, then moved to the lower house National Assembly, Xinhua news agency reported. He also commended key officials for their great capability, speed and resource mobilization in response to the fire, and said Speaker of the National Assembly Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula is rushing to the scene from the neighboring province the Eastern Cape by car as she couldn’t get a flight.
While the Old Assembly building was closely connected to South Africa’s colonial and apartheid history, the National Assembly building was where former President F.W. de Klerk stood up at the opening of Parliament in 1990 and announced he was freeing Nelson Mandela from prison and effectively ending the apartheid system of white minority rule. The news electrified the country and reverberated around the world
The fire has been contained in the old wing and firefighters are currently trying to control the fire in the new wing, where the fire has affected the National Assembly chamber, authorities said, adding that no person has been injured. The cause of the fire has not been established and investigations are underway by the relevant authorities, it said.
The National 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 to assess the situation, according to the parliament.
Jean-Pierre (JP) Smith, Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, had said the city’s Fire and Rescue Services first received a call of a building alight in Parliament Street, which is within the precinct of the parliament, and arrived at the scene minutes later.
Security guards first reported the fire at around 6 am Sunday, Carelse said, and the 35 firefighters initially on the scene quickly called for reinforcements. Cape Town activated its Disaster Coordinating Team, which reacts to major emergencies. Police cordoned off the complex and closed nearby roads.
The fire gutted the third floor of the old wing, including the office space and the gym, and its roof collapsed and has gone, Smith said in an update, adding that the old wing’s chamber does not appear to be damaged although it may be damaged by water.
The structural ceiling of the National Assembly Wing collapsed, he said. According to him, about 70 fire staff members are on the scene. Initial reports indicated the fire started in an office space.
South Africa has three capital cities. Cape Town is the legislative capital, as Parliament is located there. Pretoria is the administrative capital where government offices are and Bloemfontein is the judicial capital and hosts the Supreme Court.
(With inputs from Agencies)
