Fire alarm briefly halts Madlanga Commission as Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala set to testify

A fire alarm briefly disrupted proceedings at the Madlanga Commission on Monday morning before the scheduled testimony of alleged crime boss Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.

Evacuation and safety checks

The alarm sounded at Brigitte Mabandla College shortly before the hearing’s scheduled 9.30am start, forcing commission officials, attendees and journalists to evacuate the venue as a precaution, according to IOL.

Tshwane Emergency Services firefighters responded and worked with authorities to establish the cause of the alert and whether the building was safe to re-enter. A heavy police presence remained at the venue and no injuries were reported, IOL said.

Hearing to continue

The commission’s spokesperson, Jeremy Michaels, told those waiting that proceedings would continue and that “the Tshwane Emergency Services have assured us that the building is safe… I can also confirm that Mr Matlala is in the building,” IOL reported.

Matlala was expected to give testimony that has attracted intense public and media attention. IOL said the alert temporarily halted the morning’s proceedings while authorities investigated the trigger for the alarm.

Source

According to IOL, the incident occurred as described above. IOL is one of South Africa’s leading news and information websites bringing millions of readers breaking news and updates on politics, current affairs, business, lifestyle, entertainment, travel, sport, motoring and technology.