A spokesman for parliament has said that the perimeter wall of the National Assembly, where the South African delegation was sitting in Cape Town, was completely destroyed by a violent fire that began on Sunday morning, January 2.

“The room where the members were sitting was completely burnt down”, Lamented Moloto Motabo “The fire is not extinguished yet”. A fire broke out in the oldest section of the building, which was completed in 1884, at 5 a.m. (local time). The fire then spread to recent areas in use today.

The historic building contains a collection of valuable books and an original copy of Africa’s first national anthem, “Die Stem Suid-Afrika” (The Voice of South Africa) sung during apartheid.