Fire at ANC offices in Newcastle

Police spokesperson Captain Shooz Magudulela told The Citizen the cause of the fire was still unknown and that police were investigating.

He added there were unconfirmed reports of an explosion and said office workers were kept from entering the building on Wednesday morning.

“We are now waiting for a forensics team from Pretoria to investigate what had transpired leading up to the fire,” Magudulela said.

However, according to unofficial reports, the fire broke out in the early hours of Wednesday morning at about 4am, Newcastle Advertiser reported.

“The fire was extinguished, and while there were damages, the building did not collapse,” an unnamed police source was quoted as saying.

In April last year, a shack used as an ANC branch office was set alight at the Nkaneng informal settlement in Wonderkop, near Marikana, in the North West.

It is believed the fire started after a fight between two groups of residents earlier that day.

No injuries were reported.

In September 2013, a suspicious fire broke out in the reception area at Luthuli House – the ANC’s headquarters in Johannesburg.

A case of arson was later opened after a home-made bomb was allegedly found hidden under a couch in the foyer.

– Caxton News Service