Man arrested and charged as fire reignites at South Africa’s Parliament

Another blaze has broken out at South Africa’s parliament in Cape Town

The blaze follows another devastating fire sweeping  through the building a day earlier.

Police have charged a 49-year-old man with arson and other offences including theft. He is expected to appear in court on Tuesday.

The nation’s Assembly Speaker says the arson would represent an attack on the country’s democracy.

The parliament has played a crucial role in South Africa’s transition from white minority rule, where it has rolled back repressive apartheid policies.

The parliamentary complex, some of which dates to 1884, consists of a cluster of buildings. The National Assembly, or lower house of Parliament, is in what is known as the New Wing. The upper house, or National Council of Provinces, is located in what is called the Old Assembly.

The fire started in the office area of the complex before spreading to the National Assembly chambers, according to JP Smith, a Cape Town mayoral committee member responsible for safety and security.

Images from the scene Sunday showed flames shooting out of the top of one building, sending plumes of thick black smoke into the sky above Parliament and into neighboring streets.

No injuries or fatalities have been reported.