BREAKING | Historic Eastern Cape museum destroyed by mysterious fire

The historic Fort Beaufort Museum, which houses military and domestic artifacts reflecting South African life in the 1820s, was gutted by a raging fire in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Department of sport, recreation, arts and culture (DSRAC) spokesperson Andile Nduna confirmed to DispatchLIVE that the museum, which was established in the early 1800’s, had been destroyed by fire and no one was injured.

Nduna said was still probing the cause of the fire and  extent of the damage.

“The museum is one of the 17 funded by the department in the province and two of these museums are in advanced construction, namely Ngquza Hill and Alfred Nzo Cultural History,” he said.

“The museum has a comprehensive collection of both military and domestic artifacts, reflecting lifestyles as far back as the 1820s.”

Nduna added: “At the entrance, stand two cannons dating back to 1814 which probably formed part of the town's earliest defences. The weapons room has an excellent firearm exhibit, which includes one of the country's largest single collections of flintlock and percussion cap rifles, dating back to even before the wars of land dispossession.”

He said the museum also had a document featuring the names of every British soldiers who fought in the Anglo-Boer War.

“Fort Beaufort Museum offers an overview of local culture, ranging from the area military history to Xhosa arts and craft,” said Nduna.

The department condemned “in the strongest terms the acts of vandalism and theft of government assets by criminal elements.” 

DispatchLIVE