The offices were gutted by a fire that broke out on Monday (10/7). According to the departmental spokesperson, Petrus Siko, the four-storey building houses employees for both departments of social development, employment, and labour. The fire broke out on Monday around 21:00 in one of the offices and spread to a nearby office. 

Siko says the security officers who were on duty tried to extinguish the fire and called the emergency fire and rescue department for assistance. “The firefighters responded within a very short space of time after being called to the scene. No injuries were reported." 

The Acting Head of the Department for Social Development, Obakeng Mongale, applauded Mahikeng firefighters for working tirelessly to contain the fire that gutted two offices on the first floor of the Provident House Building. 

“We want to commend the Mahikeng Fire and Rescue Department for acting speedily to save the rest of the building from the blaze. We also like to commend our security guards for alerting the emergency services on time about this incident,” said Mongale.

Mongale has since called on employees whose workstations are in the west wing, to remain calm and work remotely on Tuesday. The west wing of the Provident House has been cordoned off to allow investigations to take place to ascertain the cause of the fire.

OFM News