Negligence or arson could be behind South African parliament fire

dpa Cape Town Following a fire that devastated South Africa’s parliament buildings in Cape Town on Sunday, authorities have said that both arson and neglig...

dpaCape TownFollowing a fire that devastated South Africa’s parliament buildings in Cape Town on Sunday, authorities have said that both arson and negligence were being considered as possible causes as they began their investigation.Speaking to news channel eNCA on Monday, Cape Town’s security commissioner Jean-Pierre Smith said he had been left “speechless” at how a fire at the parliament complex could have happened, suggesting that the incident was a massive security breach.The costs of rebuilding the historic structure are estimated at several hundred million dollars. “We’ll need hundred of millions, if not billions of rands,” Smith said.Serious deficiencies likely due to poor maintenance could also be an explanation, Smith suggested, adding that the power supply and the ventilation systems had continued to run after the fire had started and that the automatic fire alarm only sounded after a long delay.Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Patricia de Lille said a 49-year-old man would appear in court on Tuesday on charges including break-in, theft and arson after he was caught on camera entering the vacant building.More than 70 firefighters were involved in the struggle to get the fire under control, and the all-clear was only given on Monday morning.Despite that, a dozen firefighters were still fighting isolated pockets of fire in the building on Monday afternoon, the authorities said.According to a parliamentary spokesperson, the flames also destroyed the chamber in which the National Assembly meets.The fire initially broke out at the back of the building complex housing the old assembly chamber and the National Council of Provinces, de Lille explained. The fire has sparked a debate about moving the country’s parliament from its historic location in legislative capital Cape Town to the executive capital Pretoria some 1,400 kilometres away.Proponents of the move note that the building is in danger of collapse and that much of its artwork has been destroyed.However, the library’s valuable collection was left undamaged thanks to the installation of a firewall a number of years ago.