POLL | Who should be held responsible for the parliament fire?

National Assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said she will not take responsibility for the fire that broke out in parliament on Sunday morning.

Mapisa-Nqakula was responding to questions on whether she had dropped the ball as parliament counts the cost of the blaze that left several buildings damaged.

“I am not responsible for any dropping of the ball in terms of security in parliament. If anything, the report I have received from the secretary of parliament is to the effect that the cameras of parliament were all working,” she said, dismissing earlier reports about the cameras not working.

Mapisa-Nqakula added the department of public works also assured her the cameras were working at the time of the incident.

Visibly frustrated at the line of questioning, she told journalists: “Please, just try to be smart sometimes when you raise issues.”

49 year-old Zandile Christmas Mafe from Khayelitsha appeared at the Cape Town magistrate's court on Tuesday in connection with the incident.

He faces five charges including housebreaking and theft for allegedly stealing laptops, crockery and documents from parliament.

He also faces two charges of arson for allegedly setting the National Assembly building on fire and a charge of contravening the Explosives Act. The case was postponed to January 11 for bail information and further investigation.

The fire was contained in the early hours of Tuesday morning after another flare-up at the National Assembly chamber on Monday afternoon.

The Cape Town fire department said a new crew had been deployed to monitor the situation and ensure the blaze did not take off again.