No casualties but considerable material damage. The seat of the South African Parliament was in the grip of a violent fire on Sunday. After hours of firefighting by the dozens of firefighters on site, part of the roof of Parliament in Cape Town collapsed. The precinct of the National Assembly where the South African deputies sit was completely destroyed. "The room where the members are sitting has completely burned down," lamented Moloto Mothapo, adding that "the fire is not yet extinguished."
No casualties were reported but the historic building which houses a valuable collection of books and the original copy of the first national anthem in Afrikaans, "Die Stem Suid-Afrika" (The Voice of South Africa) sung during the apartheid, is already badly damaged.
“The roof of the old building housing the National Assembly has collapsed, nothing remains of it, Jean-Pierre Smith, head of the city's security and emergency services, told the press. together suffered extensive smoke and water damage," he added.
The fire started around 5 a.m. in the oldest wing of the building, completed in 1884, with rooms covered in precious wood and where parliamentarians previously sat. The origin of the fire is not known, "one person has been arrested and is being questioned," said President Cyril Ramaphosa who went there.
Leave a comment