Firefighters in Cape Town are fighting to save the building that houses South Africa’s legislative body.
South African police arrested a man after a large fire damaged the Houses of Parliament in Cape Town and caused extensive damage to one of the older structures in the country’s three capital cities.
“The fire is currently in the National Assembly chambers,” Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Patricia de Lille told reporters as smoke billowed behind her through the historic building. “This is a very sad day for democracy, for Parliament is the home of our democracy.”
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“We have not been able to contain the fire in the National Assembly,” she added. “Part of the ceilings have collapsed.”
The man was facing arson, housebreaking, and theft charges and would appear in court on Tuesday, a spokesperson reported on Sunday. Officials also suspect that the man, who has not been named, will also face charges under the National Key Points Act. The NKPA protects sites of strategic importance, such as government buildings or military bases.
Officials said that the fire started on the third floor of the Old Assembly, a building from 1884 that houses several parliamentary offices. It soon spread to the newer National Assembly building, where the Parliament regularly gathers.
Jean-Pierre Smith, member of the Cape Town mayoral committee for safety and security, told reporters that at least one floor of the Old Assembly was “gutted” and that the roof of the Old Assembly is “completely gone.”
“It is not possible to see whether it’s damaged. We hope it is not because it has so many historical artifacts, but you can’t gain access to it without breaking the doors down, and we don’t want to do that,” Smith said.
Parliament is currently not in session due to the holidays, and no injuries have been reported, say officials. President Cyril Ramaphosa called the fire a “terrible and devastating event.” However, he said that this destructive pyre would not stop the legislative body’s work.
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It remains unclear if this was an intentional attack. Parliament speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula cautioned against speculation about this being a deliberate attack.
“Until such a time that a report has been furnished that there was arson, we have to be careful not to make suggestions that there was an attack,” the speaker added.
Cape Town has been targeted by arson in the past. In April 2021, a fire set in Table Mountain National Park eventually burned down parts of the University of Cape Town alongside several businesses and homes. It was later determined to be an arson incident.
