In South Africa, Parliament fire raises questions

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa addresses the press in front of the partially destroyed Parliament in Cape Town on January 2, 2022. SEARCH IN THE / AP

It’s hard to imagine a more disconcerting symbol to mark the start of the year 2022 in South Africa. While corruption and mismanagement of public affairs are at the heart of national concerns, Sunday January 2, less than twenty-four hours following having buried its “moral compass”, Desmond Tutu, the country woke up to see its burning. Parliament in Cape Town, pillar of democracy located a stone’s throw from the cathedral where the funeral of the Nobel Peace Prize was held the day before.

Throughout the day, 70 firefighters battled the fire reported around 6 a.m. Sunday. At the end of the followingnoon, they were still busy controlling part of the fire that ravaged the current seat of the National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament, as well as part of the historic wing of the building, completed in 1884. If the fire did not cause any injuries, “The whole complex is seriously damaged”, said the deputy in charge of security within the municipality of Cape Town, Jean-Pierre Smith.

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“In the old buildings, the offices above the old bedroom were set on fire, the roof collapsed. The chamber of the National Assembly is also destroyed ”, explained the manager, Sunday, at the end of the morning. The upper house of Parliament, the National Council of Provinces, appears to have been preserved from the flames. Inaccessible immediately but remained closed, the old room, which contains many historical objects, might also have been spared, hope the authorities. According to South African media News24, the Library of Parliament was also protected from the flames.

“This is terrible news, especially at this time, as we have just said our farewells to Archbishop Desmond Tutu”, said President Cyril Ramaphosa, present at the scene on Sunday. “The Archbishop would have been devastated too, it is a place he supported, for which he prayed and which he saw as the depositary of the democracy for which he worked so hard”, added the South African head of state who announced that a suspect had been arrested.

Malfunctions

A 49-year-old man is being prosecuted for “break-in, theft and arson” following being arrested at the scene in possession of stolen objects, police confirmed. At the end of the morning, the assistant in charge of security within the municipality of Cape Town, Jean-Pierre Smith, pointed out that two separate outbreaks had spread to different parts of the building, emitting the possibility of a criminal trail. without ruling out that of a second outbreak of fire linked to the electrical system, although it did not trip following the start of the fire.

Despite this arrest, certain dysfunctions raise questions. The smoke detection and automatic sprinkler equipment, in particular, took a long time to activate. In March 2021, a fire caused by a fault in the electrical system had already damaged parts of the historic wing of Parliament. The President of the National Assembly, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula ensures that all the recommendations made following the accident have been implemented in order to avoid another disaster.

“We are not surprised, we have been sounding the alarm for a long time, explaining that the building does not meet health and safety standards. The air conditioning does not work, the elevators break down “, denounces Themba Gubula, spokesperson for the main union of employees of the Parliament. In front of the building on Sunday morning, the manager also threw a paving stone in the pond, ensuring that no security personnel were present on the scene during the night from Saturday to Sunday.

State of the nation discourse maintained

“Security officers normally work day and night but have been instructed not to work on weekends and holidays any longer because there is no money to pay for overtime. If they had been there, they might have alerted earlier ”, explains to World the union spokesperson. Asked on Sunday regarding this, the head of the oversight of the National Assembly, Cedric Frolick, said no “Not to be informed” of this situation.

Conversely, President Cyril Ramaphosa underlined the “Fantastic job” firefighters, present on the scene six minutes following being called Sunday morning. “Even though you might think that everything is going downhill, it shows that some things are working. We have to be thankful that they were there so fast, it’s a city that works, a province that works and a government that works ”, insisted the head of state. Without this rapid intervention, “The National Assembly and the Parliament would be in ashes”, he clarified.

The work of the Chamber will continue despite the fire and the traditional address on the state of the nation of the president, which is to be held in the coming weeks in front of the Parliament, will be maintained, indicates the president of the National Assembly , Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula. The city of Cape Town has let it be known that it is making its municipal council chamber available for the work of the Assembly.

Mathilde Boussion(Cape Town, South Africa, special correspondent)