“The chamber where the members sit has completely burned down,” lamented the parliament spokesman, adding that “the fire is not yet extinguished”.
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The enclosure of the National Assembly where the South African MPs sit in Cape Town was completely destroyed in a violent fire that has raged since Sunday, January 2 in the morning, said the spokesman for the Parliament.
“The room where the members sit has completely burned down”, lamented Moloto Mothapo, adding that “the fire is not yet extinguished”. The fire started at around 5 a.m. local time in the oldest wing of the building, completed in 1884. The fire then spread to the more recent parts which are in use today.
The historic building houses a valuable collection of books and the original copy of the first national anthem in Afrikaans, “Die Stem Suid-Afrika” (The Voice of South Africa) sung during apartheid.