Firefighters try to extinguish the blaze near the roof of the National Assembly building in the Parliamentary complex in Cape Town on 2 January 2022. Photo: RODGER BOSCH / AFP
The presiding officers of parliament are addressing the media on the fire incident that ripped through the parliamentary precinct on Sunday.
National Assembly speaker, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, and Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, Amos Masondo, arrived at Parliament on Monday to assess the extent of the damage.
They were also briefed by Public Works Minister Patricia De Lille about the fire.
Questions around the fire have been raging as hotly as the fire. Was it arson, incompetence, negligence or simply a metaphor for the years of neglect from government?
According to Temba Gubula of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu), the buildings were not safety compliant, which the union’s shop stewards had reported to Parliament management. Gubula also claimed members were told not to appear for night shifts in December, as “there was no money” to pay them.
Following the July riots, which broke out after former president Jacob Zuma’s incarceration for contempt and the ongoing incidents of alleged sabotage at Eskom, questions have also been raised about a possible “attack” on South Africa.