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A man has been arrested after a large fire severely damaged the Houses of Parliament in the South African city of Cape Town.
A police spokesperson said the man was facing charges of arson, housebreaking and theft, and would appear in court on Tuesday.
Firefighters worked for hours to extinguish the blaze.
President Cyril Ramaphosa called it a “terrible and devastating event”, as he vowed parliament’s work would continue.
Footage from the scene on Sunday showed a plume of black smoke filling the sky, with huge flames coming out from the roof of the building.
Officials said the fire started on the third floor offices and quickly spread to the National Assembly (the parliament’s lower house) chamber, reports the BBC’s Nomsa Maseko in Cape Town.
The parliament is not currently in session because of the holidays, and no injuries were reported.
Brigadier Nomthandazo Mbambo said the suspect is also expected to be charged under the National Key Points Act, which protects sites of strategic importance. Further details were not immediately available.
In a statement on Sunday night, South Africa’s parliament confirmed that there had been “significant damage” to the New Assembly Wing of the building, which includes the National Assembly chamber where lawmakers sit. It also said some offices had been “severely gutted”.
The fire, which began shortly after 06:00 local time (04:00 GMT), came the day after Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s state funeral at St George’s Cathedral, near parliament.
Mr Ramaphosa, who visited the scene, said news of the fire was a “terrible setback to what we were basking in yesterday”, and added that Archbishop Tutu would also have been devastated.
He said the building’s sprinkler system had not functioned properly, and praised firefighters for responding to the fire in minutes.
Jean-Pierre Smith, a member of the Cape Town mayoral committee for safety and security, told reporters that the roof above the old assembly hall was “completely gone” and further damage inside the old chamber had not yet been evaluated.
“It is not possible to see whether it’s damaged. We hope it is not because it has so many historical artefacts, but you can’t gain access to it without breaking the doors down and we don’t want to do that,” he said.
He also said that parliament’s fire alarm only rang when firefighters were already on site.
The Houses of Parliament in Cape Town are made up of three sections, with the oldest dating back to 1884. The newer sections built in the 1920s and 1980s house the National Assembly. Meanwhile, the government is based in Pretoria.
Mr Ramaphosa on Sunday spoke of his sadness at “this destruction of the home of our democracy”.
Parliament, meanwhile, said “all efforts” would be made to limit any disruption to its work.
Cape Town’s Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said the city’s Council Chamber would be made available as an alternative place for parliament to meet.
“We want to see parliament continue its important work, and we will do what we can to help,” he said.
It was the second fire at the parliament in under a year. In March there was a fire caused by an electrical fault.
Last year, a fire ravaged part of the University of Cape Town’s library, which was home to a unique collection of African archives.
South African Parliament was gutted by fire that broke out on Sunday morning.
Security guards first reported the fire at around 6 a.m. South African time.
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The country’s parliament spokesperson Moloto Mothapo confirmed the incident.
“Parliament’s presiding officers wish to confirm the breakout of a fire on the parliamentary precinct this morning,” Mothapo said.
According to Mothapo, the fire affected the Old Wing Assembly and the National Assembly wing whose roof collapsed during the incident.
Luckily, no injuries have been confirmed from the incident and the cause of the fire is yet to be established however, investigation into the cause of the fire have already been launched.
“The cause of the fire has not yet been established, and investigations are underway by the relevant authorities,” said Mothapo.
One person who was found within the parliament premises has already been arrested.
The fire in South African Parliament broke out about a month ahead of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address scheduled for February 10, 2022 in the National Assembly.
Fire destroys South African Parliment Complex (swalanyeti.co.ke)