Turnhalle rises from the ashes

LIFE is slowly returning to the ruins of the Turnhalle building, where just two weeks ago a fire gutted the historic landmark and left a 21-year-old fireman fighting for his life in hospital.

By yesterday, electricity had been restored to those parts of the building that escaped the fire, while the condition of Nelitu Braz, the young firefighter who sustained serious burns over 75 per cent of his body, is also reported to be rapidly improving. Braz has been transferred from the Intensive Care Unit of the Roman Catholic Hospital to a normal ward, staff there confirmed yesterday.Acting Fire Chief Sydney Theron told The Namibian that Braz’s progress was considered “remarkable”, and that he was moving around and communicating with nurses and visitors.The cause of the blaze, which had fire trucks rushing to the scene on the corner of Robert Mugabe Avenue and Bahnhof Street at 03h00 on Thursday, January 18, is still being investigated, Windhoek City Police spokesperson Max Hipandwa said yesterday.As the fire had been mainly confined to the conference room, SADC Tribunal Registrar Charles Mkamdawire says his office last week returned to work in the surrounding offices.Electricity was only restored to the building yesterday, he said, and the Tribunal is currently in communication with Telecom to try and get the phone lines working again.The burnt area will be blocked off from those areas that have been put back in use, Mkamdawire said, while investigations and later renovations are completed.A number of Ministry of Information employees who make use of the annex to the Turnhalle building also returned there last Friday, Acting Permanent Secretary Wilma Deetlefs said yesterday.These workers had been moved to various other Government offices after the fire, while Police inspected the building for safety.The building was deemed safe, Deetlefs said, although there are still certain areas that remain off limits because of renovations being done there.Braz has been transferred from the Intensive Care Unit of the Roman Catholic Hospital to a normal ward, staff there confirmed yesterday.Acting Fire Chief Sydney Theron told The Namibian that Braz’s progress was considered “remarkable”, and that he was moving around and communicating with nurses and visitors.The cause of the blaze, which had fire trucks rushing to the scene on the corner of Robert Mugabe Avenue and Bahnhof Street at 03h00 on Thursday, January 18, is still being investigated, Windhoek City Police spokesperson Max Hipandwa said yesterday.As the fire had been mainly confined to the conference room, SADC Tribunal Registrar Charles Mkamdawire says his office last week returned to work in the surrounding offices.Electricity was only restored to the building yesterday, he said, and the Tribunal is currently in communication with Telecom to try and get the phone lines working again.The burnt area will be blocked off from those areas that have been put back in use, Mkamdawire said, while investigations and later renovations are completed.A number of Ministry of Information employees who make use of the annex to the Turnhalle building also returned there last Friday, Acting Permanent Secretary Wilma Deetlefs said yesterday.These workers had been moved to various other Government offices after the fire, while Police inspected the building for safety.The building was deemed safe, Deetlefs said, although there are still certain areas that remain off limits because of renovations being done there.