Celebs slam those 'celebrating' UCT library fire

Mzansi's celebs have lambasted social media users who “celebrated” the burning of the Jagger Library and other parts of the University of Cape Town.

Firefighters battled into the night to try to save the library after it was gutted by a runaway fire on Sunday morning.

The library houses a priceless African Studies collection, which includes more than 1,300 sub-collections of unique manuscripts and personal papers. The collection of books and pamphlets on African studies alone exceeds 85,000 items.

According to TimesLIVE, Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) said initial investigations show that a fire suspected to have been left unattended by a vagrant was believed to have been the cause of the fire.

As the fire spread, hundreds of students were evacuated from campus residences and emergency services were called in to try to contain the fire and treat those who were injured.

While much of the country was in shock at the devastation of the fire, some on social media claimed the university was “elitist, mistreated certain students and perpetuated a colonial mentality”. These critics believed the fire was the fall of another symbol of colonialism and oppression.

Others claimed that there wasn't a clear enough evacuation plan for the university because its focus was on saving the library.

These suggestions were largely slammed online, with several celebrities speaking out.

Actor and TV personality Siv Ngesi said there are no positives in the university burning, and labelled those celebrating as “idiots”.

Renowned author Zakes Mda said “racism has caused a conceptual crisis in the minds of our young people”.

Rachel Kolisi posted a picture of the library in flames, calling it “a devastating day in Cape Town”.

Pabi Moloi said she could not celebrate the loss of “invaluable literature”.