An unusual event in the South African Parliament in Cape Town:
A fire that broke out in the compound this morning (Sunday), wreaked havoc and led to the collapse of the ceiling of the National Assembly, whose representatives are directly elected by the citizens.
The upper house of parliament, located in the same compound, was also damaged as a result of the fire.
As of today, firefighters have not yet been able to contain the flames and a lot of smoke has risen in the city sky.
One person was arrested on suspicion of involvement but it is still unclear what his motive was and if he was indeed involved in the case.
Due to the fact that during this period the compound was closed, there were no casualties at the site.
President Cyril Rampusa arrived at the scene and updated that the arrested suspect had been taken for questioning.
The fire in Cape Town, Photo: API
Even about 12 hours after it broke out, about seventy firefighters battled the blaze.
Some had to come up with a special crane to get a better angle, due to the fact that the flames got out of control and it was necessary to splash water from above.
The country's infrastructure minister, Patricia de Lille, referred to the incident and said that "this is a very sad day for democracy, because Parliament is the abode of our democracy. We have not yet been able to control the fire, and part of the ceiling has collapsed."
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