Minister of Public Works, Patricia de Lille, is speaking to the media outside of Parliament. She says it was not the National Assembly that caught fire, as indicated by JP Smith, but the Old Assembly.
She said that the fire is now mostly under control. “Fire Service have the situation under control. It’s not the National Assembly that’s on fire. What’s coming up there is an extractor pulling all the smoke out of the National Assembly.”
De Lille, said they arelooking at the CCTV footage to gather information on what may have caused fire at Parliament.
The Houses of Parliament consist of three sections, including the original and oldest building that was completed in 1884. The newer additions — constructed in the 1920s and 1980s — house the National Assembly.
In April last year, a fire ravaged part of The University of Cape Town’s library housing a unique collection of African archives.
