<span style="color: #222222;">A man has been arrested after a large fire severely damaged the Houses of Parliament in the South African city of Cape Town. The suspect, who is not a parliamentary employee, will appear in court on Tuesday, facing charges of arson, housebreaking and theft, police said. Firefighters worked for hours to extinguish the blaze.<br />''<br />''President Cyril Ramaphosa called it a terrible and devastating event, as he vowed parliament's work would continue.<br />''Officials say the fire started on the third floor offices and quickly spread to the National Assembly (the parliament's lower house) chamber, reported media in Cape Town.<br />''<br />''The parliament is not currently in session because of the holidays, and no one was injured.<br />''<br />''Police say the suspect, who reportedly entered the building through a back window, is expected to be charged under the National Key Points Act, which protects sites of strategic importance.<br />''<br />''Parliament said some offices had been severely gutted, and confirmed significant damage to the New Assembly Wing of the building, which includes the National Assembly chamber where lawmakers sit.<br />''<br />''The fire, which began shortly after 06:00 local time came the day after Archbishop Desmond Tutu's state funeral at St George's Cathedral, near parliament.<br />''<br />''Mr Ramaphosa, who visited the scene, said news of the fire was a terrible setback to what we were basking in yesterday. He said the building's sprinkler system had not functioned properly, and praised firefighters for responding to the fire in minutes.<br />''<br />''The Houses of Parliament in Cape Town are made up of three sections, with the oldest dating back to 1884. The newer sections built in the 1920s and 1980s house the National Assembly. Meanwhile, the government is based in Pretoria.<br />''<br />''Mr Ramaphosa on Sunday spoke of his sadness at this destruction of the home of our democracy. Parliament said "all efforts" would be made to limit any disruption to its work.<br />''<br />''Cape Town's Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said the city's Council Chamber would be made available as an alternative place for parliament to meet.<br />''<br />''It was the second fire at the parliament in under a year. In March there was a fire caused by an electrical fault. Last year, a fire ravaged part of the University of Cape Town's library, which was home to a unique collection of African archives.</span><br />