The Hawks say preliminary investigations show that the 49-year-old suspect who had been arrested for the fire that destroyed the National Assembly and Old Assembly building gained entry through a window.
The suspect is expected to appear in the Cape Town Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.
“Preliminary investigations reveal that the person could have gained entrance through the back window in one of the offices in parliament. In terms of the security breaches, that is part of the investigation as to how did he manage to invade the security and gain entry into the building. Tomorrow he will appear in court and we are also hoping that either today or tomorrow we will be able to gain entry to the building because it was not yet declared safe and then the forensic team has not been able to resume with their investigation,” says Nomthandazo Mbambo, Hawks Spokesperson.
#sapsHQ Man (49) allegedly linked to setting Parliament building alight to appear in court on 04/01 on charges of housebreaking and theft, arson and will also be charged under The National Key Point Act.#ParliamentFire NPhttps://t.co/mPRVJMtvNn pic.twitter.com/bz3R640BI8
— SA Police Service ?? (@SAPoliceService) January 3, 2022
Parliament Fire I The National Assembly, NCOP and the Old Assembly damaged by the fire
Meanwhile, Public Works and Infrastructure Development Minister Patricia de Lille says the buildings which have been gutted will be handed over to the police.
De Lille, who is meeting the National Assembly Speaker says they will address the media later.
“The latest is that the Speaker has arrived. At 9 o clock, I am having a meeting with all the officials. At 10 o clock, we are briefing the speaker. She is the executive authority of Parliament. Afterwards, we will brief the media about the latest update but I can assure you that the teams worked right through the night to begin to put the puzzle pieces together. The fire forensic team is also here at the monomer. Once the building has been stabilised, the building will be handed over to the SAPS because they see it as a crime scene,” says De Lille.
