Johannesburg’s emergency services are assessing the damage caused to the Rand Club on Thursday after a fire broke out on the presmises late on Wednesday night.
Emergency services spokesperson Malcolm Midgley said the fire began at about 10pm and caused severe internal damage to the historic club.
Old paintings, drawings, wood panelling and some furniture were destroyed in the fire, which was extinguished at about midnight.
Midgley said no-one was injured and the cause of the fire is not known.
The Rand Club has been an important part of the social life of Johannesburg since the first club was founded in 1887. The present Rand Club was built in 1904. It also stayed open throughout World War II and its members included the country’s leading businessmen, politicians and professionals. – Sapa