Kaya News Reporter
The post-incident report of the Parliament fire finds that the sprinkler system was not serviced for years.
The City of Cape Town’s fire department compiled the report which highlighted several safety concerns.
Further to this, the sprinkler valve was closed and did not activate at the time of the fire due to a fault.
The last time the sprinkler system was serviced was in 2017, according to the report.
This is contrary to Public Works Minister, Patricia De Lille’s statement to Parliament that the sprinkler system was serviced.
De Lille said that the sprinkler system was fully functional in October 2021.
In addition, the fire doors that were installed in Parliament were ineffective because cheap latches were used to keep the doors open at all times.
Fire doors are fitted to prevent fires from spreading further. Within Parliament the doors were installed in passages and corridors with heavy foot traffic.
While the report details what firefighters highlighted on the ground, a professional forensic report will still need to be done.
The fire occurred on Sunday and took 2 days to be contained.
Also read: Zandile Mafe’s lawyer determined to prove his client’s innocence
