COMMONWEALTH NEWS
Images: Parliament of South Africa.
A devastating fire at the Parliament of South Africa has caused major damage to the parliamentary complex in Cape Town, South Africa. The fire first started on 2 January 2022 and quickly spread across the complex before taking hold in the National Assembly building. The Parliament Building in Cape Town consists of three main sections, with the original building completed in 1884, with later editions added in the 1920s, and again in the 1980s. The newest addition currently houses the National Assembly, while the original building houses the National Council of Provinces. The Parliament Building has been declared a National Heritage Site by the South African Heritage Resources Agency with Grade 1 status. Firefighters battled the fire over several days, with the fire restarting on 3 January and completely destroying the roof and main chamber of the National Assembly building. Water and smoke damage extended across the complex. The Presiding Officers of the South African Parliament, Hon. Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, Speaker of the National Assembly and Hon. Amos Masondo, Chairperson of the National Council of the Provinces paid tribute to the over 300 firefighters who worked shifts to fight the fire. Despite extensive damage to the complex buildings, many important works of art and heritage were reportedly intact. The
Images: Parliament of South Africa.
HUGE FIRE CAUSES DEVASTATION AT THE SOUTH AFRICAN PARLIAMENT
South African Parliament has an extensive collection of artworks. The first artworks were acquired during the early 1920s and today the Parliament has close to 4,000 items of artistic and heritage value. Some pieces date as far back as the 17th century and the collection covers a range of artworks including drawings, paintings and sculpture. Of particular concern was the valuable Keiskamma Tapestry, which is 120m (394ft) long and documents South Africa's history that was made by women from a community initiative in Hamburg, Eastern Cape, but later reports confirmed that the tapestry was intact. Another concern was the parliamentary mace of the National Assembly dating from 2004, which was feared to be damaged in the fire, however it was recovered from the ashes without any damage. The Parliament of South Africa was preparing for the State of the Nation Address by the President of South Africa and the subsequent parliamentary debates in both Houses at the time of the fire and the ceremony and debates were moved to Cape Town City Hall on 10 February 2022. On 10 January 2022, it was announced that sittings of the National Assembly of South Africa, including the Budget Speech, would take place temporarily in the Good Hope Chamber. The Good Hope Chamber is one of the oldest meeting rooms within the precincts of Parliament and was originally the meeting place of the Parliament of the Cape of Good Hope from 1854 to 1885. The building was severely damaged by fire in 1892 and rebuilt as a music hall in around 1900 before being purchased by the Government in 1916. The chamber has a seating capacity for 170 people and allows for 70 people to be accommodated under COVID-19 regulations. A suspect has been arrested on suspicion of arson and theft in relation to the incident.
For the latest CPA and Commonwealth news please visit www.cpahq.org or follow the CPA on social media Twitter @CPA_Secretariat | Facebook.com/CPAHQ | LinkedIn | Instagram @cpa_secretariat 20 | The Parliamentarian | 2022: Issue One | 100 years of publishing
