Blaze ravages parliament in Cape Town, roof collapses
CAPE TOWN (Reuters) – A fire at the South African parliament caused extensive damage on Sunday, collapsing the roof and gutting an entire floor in one building, with firefighters partially containing the blaze after several hours.
By mid-morning, smoke had started to subside after billowing from one of the several buildings that make up the parliament complex in the legislative capital, Cape Town.
Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Patricia De Lille told reporters there were no reports of any injuries. The cause of the blaze was not yet known.
After assessing some of the damage, President Cyril Ramaphosa told reporters the work of parliament would continue.
“I believe somebody is being held right now, and they’re being questioned,” he said without elaborating.
“It does seem like the sprinkler system did not work as it was supposed to, but their [firefighters’] appearance and their coming here has saved a very important national asset of our government,” Ramaphosa said.
The parliamentary complex, some of which dates back to 1884, consists of a cluster of buildings. The National Assembly, or lower house of parliament, is situated in what is known as the New Wing.
The upper house, or National Council of Provinces (NCOP), is located in what is called the Old Wing, or Old Assembly, which is also used for committee meetings.
“The fire has been contained in the Old Wing,” parliament said in a statement. “Firefighters are currently trying to control the fire in the New Wing, where the fire has affected the National Assembly Chamber.”
Jean-Pierre Smith, a Cape Town mayoral committee member responsible for safety and security, said the roof of the old building had collapsed. The fire had gutted the third floor of the building, including office space and the gymnasium, he added.
The parliament’s fire alarm only rang when firefighters were already on-site, Smith told reporters.
The fire, which started just before 6 a.m., was the second fire at the parliament in less than a year. In March, there was a blaze caused by an electrical fault.
National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula told reporters Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation address to a joint session of parliament would go ahead as planned on February 10, but an alternative venue would have to be used.
“It is sad that this has happened, because indeed the parliament is a national key point, and this is an appropriate place where the president should address the nation from,” she said.