An investigative report into the fire that gutted the National Assembly building in January 2022 has revealed a series of systemic and personnel failures that ultimately could have prevented the incident.
Also read: Alleged Parliament arsonist Zandile Mafe deemed unfit to stand trial
According to the report, several issues that contributed to the security breach in Parliament included:
- Parliament’s minimum services security standards were not adhered to
- The report noted a lack of physical fencing as well as the height of the perimeter fencing
- It noted a range of system and maintenance failures
- The report also noted pervasive non-compliance with fire regulations and requirements across multiple areas, including smoke detectors, fire alarm panels, emergency notification systems, sprinkler systems and evacuation route planning.
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The secretary to Parliament, Xolile George, says a comprehensive slate of recommended remedial action is needed to address these issues. This includes recommendations from the BDO reports, security risk assessments conducted by the South African Police Service and the appointment of Head of Security Management.
‘The blaze, which gutted the National Assembly Chamber and hundreds of offices, has underscored the critical importance of safeguarding these buildings of constitutional and historical significance. It is imperative to address the security breach that enabled the actions of the arsonist, ultimately resulting in such devastating destruction.’
‘An exhaustive evaluation of fire compliance for all Parliament buildings, guided by a qualified fire engineer, will be conducted, and a coherent fire plan will be designed and implemented,’ says George. ‘The report emphasised that the fire incident could have been prevented, or its extent limited, if certain critical measures had been in place.’
George adds that 18 employees may ‘have to answer on a number of issues with regards to this incident’.
‘Identifying the culprits is subject to further investigation. Those processes are part of how Parliament will take further engagements including the affected employees.’
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Also read:
Alleged Parliament arsonist says he did it on purpose during outburst
Picture: Parliament of the Republic of South Africa / Facebook