Komani (Queenstown) residents stood watching helplessly in the
early hours of Saturday morning as the town hall burned to the ground.
Emergency services were alerted to the scene around 23:00 Friday night, but the
local fire truck has been awaiting repairs for months, and is currently still
without engine.
Members of the Community Police Forum and other volunteers made
every effort to prevent the fire from spreading to adjacent buildings, but
little could be done to save the iconic town hall. It is alleged that the fire
had started under the stage of the hall where the archives were being kept, but
the actual cause of the fire has not been disclosed.
This brings the number of Enoch Mgijima municipal buildings that
have gone up in flames in the past two years to four. All four buildings were
said to contain valuable and sensitive municipal records, including records of
foul play and maladministration within the municipal halls.
While the municipality’s press release on the matter is still in
the making, the DA has strongly condemned the ongoing neglect of municipal
infrastructure and lack of basic services.
“The municipality alleges that they
have no money for repairs, yet they have funds to purchase a brand-new vehicle
to the value of R671 550 for the Speaker, and this was done without a council
resolution,” said a disgruntled Jane Cowly, MPL and Enoch Mgijima constituency
leader.
“Imagine the difference this amount could have made to the municipal
firefighting department! They could have paid for the repairs to the fire-truck
engine, purchased new equipment and uniforms, and would have been in a position
to save the beautiful town hall.”
The town hall’s foundation was laid in 1882, and the
clock tower added in 1897 to commemorate Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee.
This report will be updated as soon as a media statement is
released by the Enoch Mgijima Municipality.
