Firefighters have withdrawn from the Parliament precinct and handed over the fire-affected buildings to the Hawks who will be investigating the cause of the blaze.

National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula says she is pleased with the overall progress made. The firefighters worked over 70 hours and 300 of them were deployed to the site as of Sunday.

The Hawks will only enter the buildings once it’s declared safe by engineers.

Preparations for the State of the Nation Address are also underway. The presiding officers are inspecting alternative venues including the City council chamber and the Cape Town International Convention Centre.