South Africa’s Mmabatho Palms Hotel, Casino and Convention Resort was badly damaged by fire September 8. Most of the building burned in the early morning blaze.
The casino resort is the oldest in the country. It was built in 1977 by gaming magnate Sol Kerzner. Some of the 64 guests were injured and treated for smoke inhalation, said Peermont Hotel Group CEO Nigel Atherton. He said the resort will remain closed for three months.
Because a large number of government officials had been staying at the resort, there are calls for an investigation into the cause of the fire.
Deputy Provincial Police Commissioner Patrick Asaneng commented, “It is important that we conduct an in-depth investigation, we have on-site our forensic fire investigators who will immediately investigate. We will expedite the investigation and within a week we would be able to report to the public about the cause of the fire.”
