Vital government records and archives are feared to have been destroyed
The Eastern Cape Government is assessing the damage caused by a fire on Tuesday night at Mthatha's iconic Botha Sigcau building.
The fire started around 7pm and rapidly spread through the building. It was contained by 10pm.
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The 11-storey building - the second-tallest in Mthatha - was built in the 1970s to serve as the headquarters of the Transkei government. It was named after Botha Manzolwandle Sigcau, Pondoland king and president of the Transkei between 1976 and 1978.
Post-1994, the building became an administrative hub for the provincial government. It housed the deeds office and several departments, including transport, health, social development, education and agriculture. It was also home to archives from the former Transkei.
Also see: Crucial land records could be lost forever
MEC for public works, infrastructure and human settlements Siphokazi Lusithi said the damage could not be assessed yet, because there was still gas and smoke coming from the building, and the site could not be entered.
"We are hoping by Friday our technical team will be allowed by the emergency team to access the building to do the assessment," she said.
Lusithi said the government had recently spent R107-million to refurbish the 50-year-old building. She claimed the building was fire safety compliant, with sprinklers and water pipes recently refurbished.
The archives in the basement and deeds office on the first floor - which handles vast amounts of manual paperwork - may not have been affected by the fire, she said. "We can say that with certainty once we are allowed inside to gain access."
Alternative arrangements were being made to accommodate the affected government offices.
King Sabatha Dalindyebo municipality spokesperson Olwethu Mabovula said investigations into the cause of the fire were underway.
Eastern Cape Chamber of Business president Vuyisile Ntlabathi expressed concern that the fire would impact government services.
During his budget speech at the Eastern Cape legislature in Bhisho on Wednesday, Premier Oscar Mabuyane said the fire was a "major setback for the province, because that building is an important asset where our people received services in the offices that are now destroyed, and clearly important documents have been erased by the fire."
"This is not the first incident of fire that engulfs a government building in this province, and it is high time for all government departments to store information on the cloud as it is remote and more secure," Mabuyane said.
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