A man in his 30s was arrested after unlawfully entering the parliamentary precinct in Cape Town in the early hours of Friday, 11 September 2026. Parliamentary Protection Services apprehended him immediately and handed him to the South African Police Service (SAPS), Parliament confirmed in a statement on Saturday.
“The individual was immediately apprehended by Parliamentary Protection Services and subsequently handed over to the South African Police Service. He is in police custody,” said Parliament spokesperson Moloto Mothapo.
The trespassing incident did not disrupt parliamentary operations, the statement added. “Parliament takes any unauthorised access to its precinct seriously and continues to maintain appropriate security measures to safeguard the institution.”
The precinct has been a sensitive site since January 2022, when Zandile Christmas Mafe allegedly set fire to the National Assembly and Old Assembly buildings. Restoration work, pegged at R4.4 billion, continues and is expected to finish later in 2026.
The arrest was first reported by TechFinancials and later covered by IOL and EBNewsDaily. CapeFlats.co.za independently verified the incident through Parliament’s official statement.
Some details circulating in other reports remain unconfirmed. EBNewsDaily, citing unnamed police sources, said the man is 34 years old and allegedly climbed a perimeter fence on Thursday night, sleeping within the precinct before his arrest. IOL, referencing eNCA, carried a similar account. Neither Parliament nor SAPS have confirmed these claims.
Those same outlets suggested the suspect may appear in court on Monday, 14 September 2026. No official court date has been announced, and a SAPS spokesman for the Cape Town Central cluster could not be reached for comment.
The breach raises fresh questions about site safety during the rebuilding phase. Parliament maintains its security measures are appropriate, though an internal review may follow.
CapeFlats.co.za will update this story when the suspect’s identity, charges, and court date are confirmed by police. We will next check with the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Monday morning.