An arsonist is believed to have been behind the blaze that engulfed the ANC provincial headquarters in Mpumalanga on Thursday morning.
According to the ANC, the fire broke out at about 9am and firefighters had to rush to the building, popularly known as “January che Masilela House”, to put out the blaze.
It’s unclear how the fire started. However, ANC spokesperson in Mpumalanga Sasekani Manzini said arson is suspected and they have “a person of interest”.
“Yes, we have noted that our offices have caught fire this morning. Firefighters and other law enforcement agencies are on the scene and the fire is being put out,” said Manzini.
“For now we cannot confirm which documents have been burnt. However, the information we have shows that there’s a person of interest and we believe that particular person, who is a member of MKMVA [Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association], will shed some light on how the fire started as he was on the scene prior to the fire, according to witnesses who work at the office. We await the police investigation to confirm it.”
WATCH | ANC suspects arson behind fire at its Mpumalanga offices
Freelance journalist
Image: Ziphozonke Lushaba
An arsonist is believed to have been behind the blaze that engulfed the ANC provincial headquarters in Mpumalanga on Thursday morning.
According to the ANC, the fire broke out at about 9am and firefighters had to rush to the building, popularly known as “January che Masilela House”, to put out the blaze.
It’s unclear how the fire started. However, ANC spokesperson in Mpumalanga Sasekani Manzini said arson is suspected and they have “a person of interest”.
“Yes, we have noted that our offices have caught fire this morning. Firefighters and other law enforcement agencies are on the scene and the fire is being put out,” said Manzini.
“For now we cannot confirm which documents have been burnt. However, the information we have shows that there’s a person of interest and we believe that particular person, who is a member of MKMVA [Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association], will shed some light on how the fire started as he was on the scene prior to the fire, according to witnesses who work at the office. We await the police investigation to confirm it.”
The offices accommodate party structures including the ANC Women’s League and Youth League.
There have been reported clashes between ANC members in Mpumalanga dating back to 2017, when former premier David Mabuza was elected an NEC member of the ruling party and also became the deputy president of the country. Since then there have been camps and factions who have fought over the party’s leadership positions in the province.
Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brig Selvy Mohlala said investigations have started.
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