SOUTH AFRICA'S PARLIAMENT BUILDING ABLAZE

SOUTH AFRICA'S PARLIAMENT BUILDING ABLAZE

 

A man has been arrested in connection with a large fire that severely damaged the Houses of Parliament in Cape Town on Sunday, with President Cyril Ramaphosa calling it a "terrible and devastating event".

Ramaphosa arrived at Parliament to inspect the damage, flanked by Western Cape Premier Alan Winde, Public Works Minister Patricia de Lille and Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele.

Firefighters fought the blaze throughout the day, bringing under complete control fire in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) but continue to battle the flames in the National Assembly (NA) Chamber and some offices that were severely gutted by fire.

Significant damage has been caused to the New Assembly Wing, which includes the NA Chamber.

The fire in these areas has almost been extinguished.

The Presiding Officers, who have urged the law enforcement agencies to leave no stone unturned in establishing the cause of the incident, have welcomed the swift arrest of a man in connection with the incident.

They have appealed for calm, cautioned against any speculation and encouraged everyone to afford the law enforcement authorities space to investigate and provide the much-needed conclusive information.

The Hawks have arrested a 49-year-old man in connection with the massive fire that has guttered sections of Parliament. 

Hawks spokesperson Brigadier Thandi Mbambo told News24 said the suspect was arrested relating to security breaches.

Mbambo added the suspect managed to enter the Parliament grounds through the back window.

https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/live-fire-breaks-out-in-parliament-firefighters-battling-to-contain-blaze-20220102