CAPETOWN: A man was due in court after a massive fire completely destroyed South Africa’s national assembly, officials said, as the blaze at the historic legislature continued to rage.
An investigation has been opened into the fire which started on Sunday in the parliament complex’s oldest wing, which was completed in 1884 and has wood-panelled rooms.
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As day dawned, smoke could be seen billowing from the building against a blue sky. “The entire chamber where the members sit… has burned down,” parliamentary spokesman Moloto Mothapo said, adding that the blaze had still not been extinguished and two fires had apparently been sparked in two separate areas of the precinct.
No casualties had been reported but President Cyril Ramaphosa told reporters at the scene a man had been held and that sprinkler systems had apparently failed.
Later Sunday, police said a suspect was due in court. “A man has been arrested inside the parliament, he’s still being interrogated. We have opened a criminal case. He has been arrested and will appear in court on Tuesday,” police spokeswoman Thandi Mbambo said.
The historic parliament building houses a collection of rare books and the original copy of the former Afrikaans national anthem “Die Stem van Suid-Afrika” (“The Voice of South Africa”), which was already damaged.
