South African Parliament burns, a suspect is apprehended and charged.
Written by RadioVuna on January 5, 2022
A 49-year-old man has been detained and charged in relation to a massive fire that “gutted” South Africa’s Parliament complex in Cape Town on Sunday, according to police.
The flames tore through Parliament on Sunday, forcing the roof of one building to fall and destroying the chamber of the National Assembly. On Monday, the incident flared up again, with dozens of firemen dispatched back to once again battle the flames, according to a notice from Parliament’s presiding officers.
The suspect, who is set to appear in the Cape Town Magistrate Court on Tuesday, has just been charged with housebreaking, robbery and arson, police said in a statement. The suspect will also be prosecuted under The National Key Point Statute, an act that allows for the designation and preservation of areas of national strategic significance.
The suspect was reportedly found with suspected stolen items after obtaining admission to the legislative complex in Cape Town, and was recognized by members of the Protection and Security Services (PSS) when they saw the building was on fire, police said.
The event and the suspect’s motivation are under further investigation by the Crimes Against the State (CATS) squad.
The legislative complex, part of which dates to 1884, consists of a cluster of buildings. The National Assembly, or lower chamber of Parliament, located in what is known as the New Wing. The upper house, or National Council of Provinces, is housed in what is called the Old Assembly.
The fire originated in the office portion of the building before spreading to the National Assembly chambers, according to JP Smith, a Cape Town mayoral committee member responsible for safety and security.
Smith told reporters Sunday that “the whole legislative facility is seriously damaged, wet and smoke damaged.”
“The roof above the Old Assembly hall is entirely gone and the offices close to it and the gym are devastated,” Smith continued. “The National Assembly chamber behind me, which you can see, is devastated, the structural ceiling has fallen and the fire personnel had to be briefly removed.”
Images from the scene Over Parliament and onto nearby streets, heavy black smoke rose from flames bursting out of a structure on Sunday.
There have been no reports of any injuries or deaths.