The Enoch Mgijima Municipality in the Eastern Cape has issued a statement on Tuesday, 12 October 2021 confirming that an art gallery building in the town of Komani erupted in flames last night with videos circulating on social media showing the building in flames.

The Municipality also revealed that the cause of the fire is still not yet known and the building was unoccupied nor were any files or assets kept there. “The Art Gallery building of Enoch Mgijima municipality in Komani was burned down last night. The cause of the fire is not yet known and our fire department will today conduct an investigation. The building was currently unoccupied, while the municipality was in negotiations with potential occupants in both public and the private sector,” the statement read.

“There were no files or any assets kept in the building as it was never used for municipal administration since the amalgamation of Tsolwana, Inkwanca and Lukhanji Municipalities to form Enoch Mgijima Municipality in 2016,” the municipality further stated in the statement.

The town of Komani and Enoch Mgijima Municipality have also been in the spotlight recently after the unveiling of the controversial Lessyton Sport Field in Komani in the Eastern Cape sparking outrage across social media.