April 3, 2022
1 min read

South Africa Parliament hears independent assessment on Jan fire

The South African Parliament said its committee on financial management has been updated on an independent assessment to the damage to Parliament buildings due to a massive fire in January…reports Asian Lite News

According to the assessment following the fire on January 2, the fire in the building of National Assembly, the lower house, caused significant damage to the central structural elements from the 2nd floor to the 6th floor, however, it is “not vulnerable to collapse”, reports Xinhua news agency

Basement floors are flooded, and investigators will inspect them once water is extracted to issue a final report, which will provide a detailed assessment to determine the extent of the damage for full restoration of the building, including providing a cost and time estimate for such works, Parliament in a statement.

MPs were also told urgent work is required to make parts of the Old Assembly safe and that provide a temporary roof to prevent rain from causing damage to lower floors.

South Africa has three capitals, including Cape Town that hosts Parliament.

The fire that lasted more than 70 hours severely damaged the building of the National Assembly and completely burned down its chamber.

ALSO READ: S.African Parliament fire allegedly started by boxes, paper, petrol

It also caused extensive damage to the century-old Old Assembly building that houses the National Council of Provinces, the upper house.

A 49-year-old Cape Town man Zandile Christmas Mafe, who is suspected of setting fire to Parliament, was arrested on January 2.

His case has been postponed to May 12 due to delays of investigation caused by the “50 tonnes of water” in the basement which needs to be cleared.

Previous Story

Imran’s Googly To Stay In Power

Next Story

China’s Himalayan Strategy

Latest from AFRICA NEWS

Africa Bets on Digital Tourism Growth

The Magical Kenya Travel Expo, which runs until Friday, brings together over 6,500 delegates from 40 countries across the globe…reports Asian Lite News Senior officials at the 15th Magical Kenya Travel Expo

India, Kenya Navies Forge Stronger Ties

During the port call, personnel from both navies will engage in various professional and social interactions, including joint training activities…reports Asian Lite News Senior Officer of the First Training Squadron (1TS) and

South Africa Returns to UN Aviation Council

ICAO is a specialised agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation…reports Asian Lite News South Africa has been re-elected to the International Civil Aviation

‘South Sudan on brink of new war’

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk says peace deal risks collapse as nearly 2,000 civilians killed this year…reports Asian Lite News South Sudan is teetering on the edge of another
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Trump cuts aid to South Africa 

South Africa’s foreign ministry said in a statement that there

Priyanka woos UP voters with more promises

Mounting a scathing attack on the Yogi Adityanath government, she