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Houses of Parliament, Cape Town

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Houses of Parliament
The old assembly building viewed from the Company's Garden
LocationCape Town, South Africa
Built1875–1884
ArchitectsCharles Freeman, Henry Greaves, Sir Herbert Baker
Architectural style(s)Neoclassical, Cape Dutch architecture

The Houses of Parliament of South Africa is in Cape Town. The building has three three main sections: the original building, completed in 1884, and others built in the 1920s and 1980s. The newer houses is where the National Assembly (the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of South Africa) meet and the original building houses is where the National Council of Provinces (the upper house of Parliament) meet.

The Houses of Parliament have been declared a National Heritage Site by the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) and given grade 1 national heritage status, the highest grade set by SAHRA.[1]

During the morning of 2 January 2022, a fire broke out in third-floor offices at the two legislative chambers, the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces.[2] A man has been arrested and it was said the sprinkler systems were not working.[3]

References

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  1. "SA Parliament declared a National Heritage Site". South African Heritage Resources Agency. Archived from the original on 2018-05-30. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
  2. "National Assembly barely visible as heavy cloud of smoke covers Parliament". News24. 2 January 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  3. "Cape Town: Major blaze rips through South Africa parliament building". 2 January 2022 – via www.bbc.com.