(Cape Town) Dozens of firefighters fought all day but Sunday, after dark, the violent blaze which devastated a significant part of the South African Parliament in Cape Town and for which a suspect was arrested, was still not mastered.
Throughout the day, thick clouds of black smoke shrouded the historic building with the imposing white and red-brick Victorian facade, known to all South Africans. Huge flames billowed from the rooftops but no casualties were reported.
The presidents of both chambers of parliament and members of government are due to meet on Monday to see the scale of the disaster. But already, the National Assembly has been completely destroyed: “The ceiling has collapsed. The fire was so intense in this part of the building that the firefighters had to evacuate to avoid any danger, ”said Parliament spokesman Moloto Mothapo.
The deputies returning from vacation in this austral summer will not be able to debate in their usual leather armchairs, which have probably gone up in smoke “for a long time”, he added.
But “Parliament will continue its work”, hammered President Cyril Ramaphosa who visited the site in the afternoon. He himself was to deliver a speech to the nation there in February.
PHOTO SUMAYA HISHAM, REUTERS
The fire started around 5 a.m. in the oldest wing of the building, completed in 1884, with rooms covered with precious wood and where parliamentarians previously sat.
The fire started around 5 a.m. (3 a.m. GMT) in the oldest wing of the building, completed in 1884, which previously housed parliamentarians in its rooms with walls covered with precious wood. The most recent parts were built in 1920 and 1980.
In this historic part, the roof went up in smoke, “there is nothing left”, according to the head of the city’s emergency services, Jean-Pierre Smith. And in these old rooms adorned with rugs and curtains, the fire continued to spread at the end of the day.
Threatened treasures
This is where Parliament kept its treasures, some 4,000 works of art and heritage, some dating back to the 17the century. Among them, the Keiskamma tapestry, named after a river in the south-east of the country. At 120 meters long, the precious coin traces the history of South Africa from the first indigenous peoples, the San, to the democratic elections of 1994.
Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said the library which houses a unique collection of books has not been affected.
More than 70 firefighters were on the war footing at the end of the day. Inside the buildings, a fine rain of gray ash fell from the ceilings on floors strewn with debris.
A man in his 50s was arrested while in Parliament at the time of the fire, police said. He is due to be brought to justice on Tuesday, investigators exploring the criminal trail.
According to the first elements, the fire broke out in two homes. And a shutdown of the water supply prevented the automatic extinguishing system from functioning properly. A report must be submitted to the President within 24 hours.
In the upscale neighborhood, the streets have been cordoned off since dawn. The security cordon extends to the flowers still spread on the forecourt of the neighboring Saint-Georges Cathedral, where the funeral of Desmond Tutu, the last hero of the anti-apartheid struggle who died on December 26, took place the day before.
Cape Town has been the seat of Parliament since 1910, made up of the National Assembly and an upper house called the National Council of Provinces, while the government is based in Pretoria.
In February 1990, the last white South African president to die in November, FW de Klerk, announced there the end of the racist apartheid regime.
The building had already been the victim of a quickly contained fire in March. And in April, a fire on Table Mountain overlooking the coastal city destroyed library treasures at prestigious Cape Town University.