Mvezo Welcome Centre in Eastern Cape is said to have been a victim of nature after a fire broke out due to an alleged lightening.
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Ndileka Mandela confirmed the blaze to The Citizen newspaper.
“Mvezo Welcome center destroyed by lightning. No one was hurt,” she posted on social media.
The centre was funded by the National Lottery with a total of R17m.
According to the report the fire was ignited by a lightning strike and it has destroyed the community anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela was born.
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In a statement, the the late president’s grandson Mandla Mandela said, “its thatched roof caught fire resulting in the complete destruction of the centre.” The tourism building was still under construction and due to serve as the initial point of contact for tourists, with an information desk, shops and an eatery.
Mandla also said, “This was an act of nature and no foul play or any other cause is suspected. It is regrettable that we have lost this infrastructure, which was at an advanced stage of construction. R10m was spent on the first phase and the lightning mast poles were not installed yet.”
Bongi Sikelo 
Cece Smith 