Pretoria - The Eternity Flame of Remembrance at Parliament has been switched back on after it was switched off in December.
"...the department took a decision to switch off the Flame of Remembrance for security reasons in December 2011. However, the flame in Parliament has since been switched back on," said the Department of Public Works in response to a news report's suggestion that it had neglected the flame.
The flame - dedicated to fallen soldiers and heroes involved in battles of the past - was originally supplied with piped town gas. When the supply of town gas was discontinued, it was upgraded to work off bottled LP gas.
In October and November last year, there were intermittent problems with the flame and a number of components had to be replaced.
"Despite the efforts, by mid-December, the thermocouple which had been recently fitted, suddenly failed. Because of the December holidays, this meant that a new component could only be sourced in January 2012.
"In terms of the Occupational Safety Act, the old system's components were found to be obsolete and dangerous, prompting the department to take a decision to switch the flame off, while a new component was being sourced. The action was out of consideration for the safety and the security of the people visiting the site," the department said.
The flame, which is still fuelled by the bottled LP gas, is now back on, posing no threat to the security of people visiting the site.
