VOC
The City of Cape Town says the use of heavier firefighting skylifts allowed for firefighting efforts at Parliament to continue from above on Monday night. The roof caught fire again yesterday afternoon, but the skylifts helped to contain the fire at midnight.
The mayoral committee member for Safety and Security, JP Smith, said teams then worked their way through the building room by room and extinguished hotspots.
Presiding officers explained in a press briefing prior to the latest on Monday, stating that the Old Assembly, National Assembly and critical offices suffered widespread damage. The public has been assured that Parliaments work will continue, including the tabling of the budget speech and State of the Nation Address (SONA) next month.
Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis echoed the sentiments of many singing praise for the City of Cape Town firefighters and emergency personnel responding to the blaze. He earlier offered the City Hall for Parliamentary sittings and the Grand Parade for SONA.
Public Works minister Patricia de Lille confirmed a drone is being used to assess the damage for now, adding that a full report will most likely be delayed. Forensic and engineering experts will investigate once it is deemed safe to do so.
An interdepartmental and multipronged approach is being used to determine the cause of the fire, amid public scrutiny and calls for accountability. Parliament appealed for calm, amid intense speculation; including security guards allegedly being off duty due to budget cuts and faulty sprinkler and fire detection systems.
Meanwhile, Workers union Nehawu has learned with shock that its members were not on duty at the time when Parliament caught fire. The workers were allegedly told to stop working on weekends and holidays due to budget constraints.
Furthermore, all roads surrounding Parliament have been reopened.
