One firefighter from the King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality sustained injuries in the fire of the historic Botha Sigcawu Building, in Mthatha.
The Municipality said the fire was noticed by employees first, of the King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality.
They activated emergency protocols.
Fire services were met by an angry blaze, which spread rapidly.
It engulfed the concrete structural frame, aluminium shopfront window systems, and extensive internal fibre cement finishes.
The Municipality said in a statement, the “building is further partitioned with ageing drywalling and suspended fibre cement ceilings, all of which contributed significantly to the rapid escalation of the fire.”
Preliminary findings point to a fire started on the upper floors of the building.
The 11-storey building, dating back to 1976, housed several government departments.
While speculation is rife, the cause of the fire is under investigation.