Pretoria - Police in Kwazulu-Natal are investigating a suspected case of arson after a fire destroyed documents at the finance offices of Umkhanyakude District Municipality in the early hours of Thursday.
Police spokesman Colonel Vincent Mdunge said the fire broke out at 3:30am. No arrests have been made yet and police investigations are continuing.
"We have opened a case of arson after the finance section of Umkhanyakude Municipality was totally destroyed by fire this morning.
"When the security guard saw the smoke coming from the municipal finance building, at first he thought it was mist but upon getting closer, he saw the blaze coming out from the building," he said.
The incident comes at a time when a forensic team, appointed by the provincial Department of Co-Operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, is probing allegations of fraud and maladministration at the municipality.
Both the municipal manager and a chief financial officer are still on suspension in order to allow the forensic investigations to run smoothly.
Mdunge told BuaNews that all the crucial documents in the building had gone up in flames and the total damage is estimated at R500 000.
"Our view is that this fire was caused by somebody. We are appealing to people with information that can lead to the arrest of the suspect(s) to contact their nearest police stations," he said.
