Man arrested in connection with Parliament building fire

A 49-year-old man was arrested and would appear in court on Tuesday, facing charges of arson, housebreaking and theft after a large fire severely damaged the Houses of Parliament in the South African city of Cape Town.

“ A terrible and devastating event” President Cyril Ramaphosa said.

Footage from the scene showed a plume of black smoke filling the sky, with huge flame coming out from the roof of the building shortly after 06:00 local time (04:00 GMT).

The building’s sprinkler system had not functioned properly, abd praised the firefighters for responding to the fire within minutes.

According to officials, the fire started on the third floor offices and quickly spread go the National Assembly (the Parliament’s lower house) chamber.

The Houses of Parliament in Cape Town are made up of three sections, with the oldest dating back to 1884. The newer section built in 1920s and 1980s house the National Assembly, while the government is based in Pretoria.

This was the second fire at the parliament under a year, as the last fire in March was caused by an electrical fault.