The premises of the National Assembly were completely destroyed in a violent fire

“The room where the members’ seats are located has been completely destroyed by fire,” a lamented parliamentary spokesman said.

Posted 01/02/2022 4:31 PM

Update 01/02/2022 6:03 PM

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A spokesman for parliament has said that the perimeter wall of the National Assembly, where the South African delegation was sitting in Cape Town, was completely destroyed by a violent fire that began on Sunday morning, January 2.

“The room where the members were sitting was completely burnt down”, Lamented Moloto Motabo “The fire is not extinguished yet”. The fire broke out at 5 a.m. local time in the oldest section of the building, which was completed in 1884. The fire also spread to recent areas in use today.

The historic building contains a collection of valuable books and an original copy of Africa’s first national anthem, “Die Stem Suid-Afrika” (The Voice of South Africa) sung during apartheid.

A 51-year-old man was arrested in Cape Town on Sunday evening as part of a criminal investigation into an ongoing fire. A police spokesman said he would be arraigned in court on Tuesday.

“A man has been arrested inside parliament and is still being investigated as part of a criminal investigation. He has been arrested and will appear in court on Tuesday.”, Said Thampi Embambo, a spokesman for the Hawks, South Africa’s elite police force.