Parliament says fire wouldn’t have happened if its staff had not been on forced leave
Parliament said its buildings would not have come under attack had its own security staff not been on forced holiday leave when it was set alight by a lone suspect.
Two years ago, workers union, the National, Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) claimed shifts had been cut for Parliamentary Protection Services over weekends and at night, as a cost-saving measure.
On Wednesday, secretary to Parliament, Xolile George, revealed key findings from an internal investigation, which also found that police officers on duty had also not played their part in securing the precinct.
George said Parliament would be meeting with Public Works and the South African Police Service (SAPS) on closing the gaps identified by the fire investigation.
It revealed pervasive non-compliance with fire regulations and requirements.
While the police have not revealed what action they’ve taken against their own members who are responsible for guarding Parliament’s access points, George said not having Parliament’s own security staff on duty also contributed to the security breach.
“Do we think that Parliament would still exist and standing had there been staff of Parliament not on forced leave? And the answer is yes.”
Parliament recently appointed a former head of police protection services, Samson Shitlabane, to head up security at the legislature – a post that had been vacant since 2017.
The fire investigation has implicated at least five parliamentary officials, but as many as 28 staffers could be questioned in connection with the identified lapses.
-EWN
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