Cape Town – Political parties want the City of Cape Town to conduct a full investigation into the cause of a fire that engulfed a traffic services vehicle at the Gallows Hill Traffic Department on Friday night.
City Traffic Services spokesperson Kevin Jacobs said at approximately 8.17pm on Friday, a Cape Town traffic services vehicle caught alight at the traffic department in Green Point.
Jacobs said the fire services department responded to the emergency and extinguished the fire. One of the vehicles was destroyed by the fire and a second partially damaged.
Safety and security mayoral committee member JP Smith said, according to their investigation, there was an electric fault on the vehicle which resulted in the vehicle catching alight.
“The officer that was in the vehicle at the time, got out and was unable to stop the fire, and there were no injuries reported,” Smith said. The vehicle was towed and removed from the scene.
Smith said the usual procedures would be conducted for insurance. However, the EFF and the ANC in the province called for a full investigation into the fire.
EFF provincial spokesperson Wandile Kasibe said they would like to know what really caused the fire – how much it would cost the City’s Traffic Department and whether there were similar incidents that had occurred before.
“We would also like to know if this particular vehicle that caught fire was serviced, and if yes, could we be presented with its service history records?,” asked Kasibe.
He said the EFF would also like to know if there was no element of foul play in the form of sabotage internally and, if negligence of any individual being found, consequence management must be speedily executed.
ANC provincial spokesperson on Transport and Public Works, Lulama Mvimbi said the City must conduct a thorough investigation.
“The City should take proper actions on this matter, soon after they conduct an investigation. This fire matter raises more concern on the security of the department,” said Mvimbi.
Cape Argus