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A30 world news
Dialuna 3 Januari 2022

Fire ravages South Africa’s historic Parliament complex

but is now used for offices. It ed to South Africa’s colonial
spread to the newer National and apartheid history, the Ramaphosa and many of
Assembly building, built in National Assembly build- South Africa’s top politicians
the 1980s, which is where the ing was where former Presi- were in Cape Town for the
Parliament now sits. dent F.W. de Klerk stood up funeral Saturday of retired
at the opening of Parliament Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Authorities feared extensive in 1990 and announced he at St. George’s Cathedral,
damage to both buildings, was freeing Nelson Mandela about a block away from the
which have stark white fa- from prison and effectively Parliament.
cades, elaborate roof linings ending the apartheid system
and majestic columns, now of white minority rule. The South Africans viewed the
all obscured by flames and news electrified the country fire as a double blow on the
smoke. There were also fears and reverberated around the first two days of the new year,
that priceless artifacts in- world. after saying farewell to Tutu
side, including a manuscript and then seeing their Parlia-
(AP) — A major fire maphosa said a person was where the composer first Security guards first reported ment burn.
ripped through South Af- “being held and is being wrote some lyrics for South the fire at around 6 a.m. Sun-
rica’s 138-year-old Parlia- questioned” by police in con- Africa’s national anthem, day, Carelse said, and the 35 “It’s just really a terrible set-
ment complex on Sun- nection with the blaze. Police would be lost forever. firefighters initially on the back,” Ramaphosa said. “The
day, gutting offices and later confirmed a 51-year-old scene quickly called for re- Arch (Tutu) would’ve been
causing some ceilings to man had been detained. Carelse warned that both inforcements. Cape Town devastated as well. This is
collapse at a site that has buildings were at risk of col- activated its Disaster Coor- a place he supported and
hosted some of the coun- “The fire is currently in the lapsing. dinating Team, which reacts prayed for.”
try’s pivotal moments. National Assembly cham- to major emergencies. Police
As firefighters struggled bers,” Minister of Public “The bitumen on the roof is cordoned off the complex South Africa has three capital
to tame the blaze, a dark Works and Infrastructure Pa- even melting, an indication and closed nearby roads. cities. Cape Town is the legis-
plume of smoke and tricia de Lille told reporters as of the intense heat. There lative capital, as Parliament is
flames rose high into the smoke billowed behind her have been reports of some De Lille said an investigation located there. Pretoria is the
air above the southern city from the roof of the historic walls showing cracks, which was underway into the cause administrative capital where
of Cape Town. white building with grand could indicate a collapse,” of the blaze. Authorities were government offices are and
entrance columns. “This is a the News24 website quoted reviewing video camera foot- Bloemfontein is the judicial
Around 70 firefighters were very sad day for democracy, Carelse as saying. age and questioning the man capital and hosts the Su-
still battling the fire hours for Parliament is the home of arrested at the precinct. preme Court.
after it started in the early our democracy.” J.P. Smith, the Cape Town of-
morning, Cape Town’s Fire ficial in charge of safety and Parliament speaker Nosiviwe Cape Town has seen arson at-
and Rescue Service spokes- “We have not been able to security, said at least one floor Mapisa-Nqakula cautioned tacks before. A huge wildfire
man Jermaine Carelse said. contain the fire in the Na- of the Old Assembly build- against speculation that it was on the slopes of Cape Town’s
Some were lifted up on a tional Assembly,” she added. ing was “gutted” and its en- a deliberate attack on South famed Table Mountain last
crane to spray water on the “Part of the ceilings have col- tire roof had collapsed. The Africa’s seat of democracy. year spread to buildings be-
blaze from above. No inju- lapsed.” firefighters were now focus- low and destroyed part of a
ries have been reported and ing efforts toward saving the “Until such a time that a re- historic library at the Uni-
Parliament itself had been Officials said the fire started National Assembly building, port has been furnished that versity of Cape Town as well
closed for the holidays. in the Old Assembly build- he said. there was arson, we have to as other structures. A report
ing, which was built in 1884 be careful not to make sug- concluded that fire was start-
Visiting the scene, South and originally housed the While the Old Assembly gestions that there was an at- ed deliberately.
African President Cyril Ra- South African Parliament building was closely connect- tack,” she said.

S Korea: Unidentified person crosses border into North Korea

(AP) — South Korea’s It was unclear if this was home. The fate of that defec- sent agents and spies to each sion, but a vast majority of
military said Sunday that a rare case of a South Ko- tor, who had lived in South other’s territory through the them have come via China
an unidentified person rean hoping to defect to the Korea, is not known. DMZ, but no such incidents and Southeast Asian coun-
crossed the heavily forti- North, or it could be a North have been reported in recent tries.
fied border into North Korean who briefly entered On Saturday, North Korea years.
Korea. the South Korean territory announced it had decided to North Korea has yet to report
for some reason before re- place top priority on strict About 34,000 North Koreans any cases of the coronavirus
The person was earlier spot- turning to the North. virus restrictions at a high- have defected to South Korea while experts have ques-
ted by surveillance equip- profile ruling party meeting since the late 1990s to avoid tioned its claim of a perfect
ment at the eastern portion In September 2020, North last week. poverty or political oppres- record.
of the border, known as the Korea fatally shot a South Ko-
Demilitarized Zone, but rean fisheries official found The two Koreas are split
avoided capture by South floating in its waters along a along the world’s most heav-
Korean troops on Saturday poorly marked sea boundary. ily armed border, called the
night. The surveillance later South Korea said that North Demilitarized Zone. An es-
detected the person crossing Korea troops were under or- timated 2 million mines are
the border, Joint Chiefs of ders to shoot anyone illegally peppered inside and near the
Staff officers said. crossing the border to protect 248-kilometer (155-mile)
against the coronavirus pan- -long, 4-kilometer (2.5-
South Korea sent a message demic. mile) -wide DMZ, which is
to North Korea on Sunday also guarded by barbed wire
morning to ensure the safety Earlier in 2020, North Korean fences, tank traps and combat
of the person, but the North leader Kim Jong Un placed a troops on both sides.
hasn’t responded, the officers border city under total lock-
said requesting anonymity down after a North Korean Defecting via the DMZ is
citing department rules. defector with COVID-19- rare. At the height of their
like symptoms sneaked back Cold War rivalry, both Koreas