Cape Town – A man in his 30s has been arrested for unlawfully entering the Parliamentary precinct.
In a terse statement made available to The Bulrushes, Parliament said the incident occurred in the early hours of the morning on Friday, 11 September 2026.
“The individual was immediately apprehended by Parliamentary Protection Services and subsequently handed over to the South African Police Service,” the statement said.
“He is in police custody.
“The trespassing incident did not disrupt parliamentary operations.”
Parliament warned that it takes any unauthorised access to its precinct seriously and continues to maintain appropriate security measures to safeguard the institution.
The security breach brought back memories of 2022 when the Parliament building was set alight, allegedly by Zandile Christmas Mafe.
The cost of restoring the historical building was estimated at R4,4 billion.
Repairs are expected to be completed later this year.
Mafe was arrested but was declared mentally unfit to stand trial after psychiatric evaluations diagnosed him with severe schizophrenia.
He remains committed to a state psychiatric facility, ending prospects of a criminal trial.
