Cape Town: a fire that devastated part of South Africa ParliamentThe encirclement of the National Assembly and endangering the national treasure has been overcome, firefighters said on Monday, as police charged a suspect with starting the fire.
Flames erupted in the oldest wing of the Cape Town complex early Sunday, creating an inferno that the crew battled throughout the day.
“The fire was brought under control overnight,” spokesman Germaine Carrelse said. He said teams are dousing the fire in the historic wood-paneled part of the building from where the fire started.
“The biggest damage has been to the National Assembly Building,” Carrelse said. “It won’t be used for months.”
Earlier, Parliament Spokesperson Moloto Mothapo He said the roof of the assembly had collapsed and the fire in that part of the building was “so severe” that firefighters were forced to retreat.
“The entire chamber where the members sit… has burnt down,” he said.
There was no report of any casualties.
President Cyril Ramaphosa One person had been apprehended and the building’s sprinkler system had apparently failed, he told reporters at the scene on Sunday.
Police on Monday said they charged a 49-year-old man they had detained inside parliament a day earlier.
The Hawks Elite Police Unit said the man, who appeared in court on Tuesday, has been charged with “house vandalism, arson” and damage to state property.
Parliament’s presiding officers were to meet with Public Works Minister Patricia de Lille on Monday to take stock of the devastation.
Jean-Pierre Smith, a member of Cape Town’s mayoral committee for safety and security, told reporters the entire complex was damaged by extensive water and fire.
He said that “nothing” was left in the part of the historic section of the building, which was completed in 1884.
This is where the Parliament holds treasures including about 4,000 heirlooms and artifacts, some dating back to the 17th century.
The collection includes rare books and the original copy of the East African national anthem “Die Stemm van Sud-Africa” (“The Voice of South Africa”), which had already been damaged.
It also houses the 120-metre-long (390-foot) Kiskamma Tapestry, named after a river in the southeast of the country, which traces the history of the first indigenous people of South Africa, the San, to the historic democratic elections. Is. 1994.
After the fire broke out in the old part of the building, the flames spread to the new parts of the complex.
Around 70 firefighters were deployed on Sunday, some of whom used cranes to sprinkle water on the fire. On Monday, around 20 were present on the spot to control the remaining fire.
Images broadcast on television previously showed huge flames rising from the ceiling.
The area around the fire was quickly cordoned off, with the enclosure extending to a square where flowers were still displayed in front of the nearby St. George’s Cathedral, where the anti-apartheid icon stood. Archbishop Desmond TutuThe funeral was held on Saturday.
Cape Town has been home to the Houses of Parliament of South Africa since 1910, when the separate administration formed a federation under British rule and became the predecessor of the modern South African Republic.
The site contains the National Assembly and the upper house, the National Council of Provinces, while the government is located in Pretoria.
It was in parliament where South Africa’s last apartheid-era president, F.W. de Klerk, announced plans to end white-minority rule in 1990.
The Houses of Parliament consist of three sections, with new additions built in the 1920s and 1980s.
Another fire broke out in the old wing of Parliament in March, but it was quickly brought under control.
Cape Town suffered another major fire in April, when a fire broke out on the famous Table Mountain, which overlooks the city, destroying part of the library of the University of Cape Town, which houses a unique collection of African archives. is a collection.
Flames erupted in the oldest wing of the Cape Town complex early Sunday, creating an inferno that the crew battled throughout the day.
“The fire was brought under control overnight,” spokesman Germaine Carrelse said. He said teams are dousing the fire in the historic wood-paneled part of the building from where the fire started.
“The biggest damage has been to the National Assembly Building,” Carrelse said. “It won’t be used for months.”
Earlier, Parliament Spokesperson Moloto Mothapo He said the roof of the assembly had collapsed and the fire in that part of the building was “so severe” that firefighters were forced to retreat.
“The entire chamber where the members sit… has burnt down,” he said.
There was no report of any casualties.
President Cyril Ramaphosa One person had been apprehended and the building’s sprinkler system had apparently failed, he told reporters at the scene on Sunday.
Police on Monday said they charged a 49-year-old man they had detained inside parliament a day earlier.
The Hawks Elite Police Unit said the man, who appeared in court on Tuesday, has been charged with “house vandalism, arson” and damage to state property.
Parliament’s presiding officers were to meet with Public Works Minister Patricia de Lille on Monday to take stock of the devastation.
Jean-Pierre Smith, a member of Cape Town’s mayoral committee for safety and security, told reporters the entire complex was damaged by extensive water and fire.
He said that “nothing” was left in the part of the historic section of the building, which was completed in 1884.
This is where the Parliament holds treasures including about 4,000 heirlooms and artifacts, some dating back to the 17th century.
The collection includes rare books and the original copy of the East African national anthem “Die Stemm van Sud-Africa” (“The Voice of South Africa”), which had already been damaged.
It also houses the 120-metre-long (390-foot) Kiskamma Tapestry, named after a river in the southeast of the country, which traces the history of the first indigenous people of South Africa, the San, to the historic democratic elections. Is. 1994.
After the fire broke out in the old part of the building, the flames spread to the new parts of the complex.
Around 70 firefighters were deployed on Sunday, some of whom used cranes to sprinkle water on the fire. On Monday, around 20 were present on the spot to control the remaining fire.
Images broadcast on television previously showed huge flames rising from the ceiling.
The area around the fire was quickly cordoned off, with the enclosure extending to a square where flowers were still displayed in front of the nearby St. George’s Cathedral, where the anti-apartheid icon stood. Archbishop Desmond TutuThe funeral was held on Saturday.
Cape Town has been home to the Houses of Parliament of South Africa since 1910, when the separate administration formed a federation under British rule and became the predecessor of the modern South African Republic.
The site contains the National Assembly and the upper house, the National Council of Provinces, while the government is located in Pretoria.
It was in parliament where South Africa’s last apartheid-era president, F.W. de Klerk, announced plans to end white-minority rule in 1990.
The Houses of Parliament consist of three sections, with new additions built in the 1920s and 1980s.
Another fire broke out in the old wing of Parliament in March, but it was quickly brought under control.
Cape Town suffered another major fire in April, when a fire broke out on the famous Table Mountain, which overlooks the city, destroying part of the library of the University of Cape Town, which houses a unique collection of African archives. is a collection.
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