A roaring fire ravaged Parliament back in January – Image: City of Cape Town
Parliament fire: Freemasons deny any connection to devastation
Rumours surfaced that the Freemasons may have started the fire at neighbouring Parliament, but the organisation has rubbished these claims.
A roaring fire ravaged Parliament back in January – Image: City of Cape Town
The Freemasons have condemned conspiracy theories suggesting links to the fire at Parliament. Indeed, the Freemasons Lodge has highlighted that its only connection to the building is that they are neighbours.
The Freemasons’ Goede Hoop Lodge is situated next to Parliament and, following the blaze, theories surfaced suggesting that the organisation is somehow connected. Interestingly, the lodge has managed to emerge unscathed from the fire that devastated large parts of the historical buildings.
Parliament fire: Conspiracy accuses organisation of attempting to recover land
In line with this, one conspiracy theory was that the organisation sold the land Parliament is on to the government. This theory claims that the sale was on condition that the land would be sold back to the Freemasons in the event that Parliament moves.The perceived secretrive society says that any links to Parliament were severed over a century ago.
Secretary Jeff Edwards says that his organisation no longer owns the land on which Parliament is built. Furthermore, Edwards slammed the conspiracy theories as gossip.
“Someone is twisting the story here… that is rubbish. We are not setting anything on fire. The last fire incident was in Ireland, where we had a bit of fire and it was contained quickly. That was the only one,”
Jeff Edwards
Interestingly, Edwards says that the Freemasons sold the land to the government for 10 Shillings in the 1800s.
“In Cape Town, of course some of the land was owned by us. But we are just neighbours with the institution of Parliament. Anyone trying to link that incident with us is mischievous.”
Jeff Edwards
Freemasonry still enjoys South African support
Furthermore, the organisation has five regions in the country including in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape, Gauteng and the Free State. The Masonic Hall was founded in the 1700s and is described as one of the organization’s most elegant buildings.
Membership is exclusively offered to men older than 21 years of age with an excerpt on its website reading that.
“In a world often dictated by hate and segregation, membership of an organisation capable of uniting men of all religions, colours and even accents is more relevant than ever,”
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