A fire that started in the early hours of Sunday morning at St George’s Cathedral in Cape Town has done little damage, but has left cathedral officials concerned about the state of South Africa’s politics.
A fire in the basement of St George’s Cathedral in Cape Town in the early hours of Sunday caused minimal damage to the historic building and no one was hurt.
The fire, which left traces of dense smoke in the basement and in the former jazz club, the Crypt, was an act of arson, according to cathedral dean, Father Michael Weeder.
Weeder told Daily Maverick that someone was seen running away from the cathedral at about 1am on Sunday, by City security officers. Cathedral security guards then spotted smoke coming from the basement.
“It appears that a lit piece of cotton or gauze was thrown through the small, barred window near the steps leading up to the cathedral’s Wale Street entrance,” he said in a statement.
Weeder said the fire was towards the government precinct end of the cathedral and was spreading towards the rest of the building before the City of Cape Town fire department extinguished it.
“The damage was controlled and the fire…