South Africa parliament blaze suspect charged with arson; fire now under control
- A 49-year-old man will appear in court on Tuesday charged with ‘housebreaking, arson and damaging state property’
- National assembly destroyed while fate of some of nation’s most cherished artefacts is unclear; 20 firefighters still on site
Flames broke out at around 5am on Sunday in the oldest wing of the Cape Town complex, triggering an inferno that crews battled throughout the day. The parliament is not currently in session because of the holidays, and no casualties were reported, but the damage was catastrophic.
“The fire was brought under control during the night,” spokesman Jermaine Carelse said, adding that around 20 firefighters were still on the site.
The blaze began in the wood-panelled older part of the building, a section that houses South Africa’s first parliament and some of the nation’s most cherished artefacts. It then spread to the neighbouring new assembly, where legislators meet.
Parliament spokesman Moloto Mothapo said the roof of the National Assembly had collapsed. “The entire chamber where the members sit... has burned down.”
Arson and negligence are both under investigation by the authorities. Cape Town’s security commissioner Jean-Pierre Smith said on Monday that he was “speechless” at how this could happen at the parliamentary complex. He referred to a massive gap in security.
The costs for rebuilding the historic structure is estimated at the equivalent of several hundred million dollars. “We’ll need hundred of millions, if not billions of rands,” Smith said.