On Sunday, a large fire broke out in the South African parliament complex in Cape Town, AFP reporters on the scene reported.

At about 0530 GMT, firefighters were called to the structure after big flames, and a massive column of smoke was observed.

"The roof has caught fire, and the National Assembly building is also on fire," a city official told AFP, asking reinforcements on the site.

"The fire is not under control, and cracks in the walls of the building have been reported," he continued.

Social media images – which AFP has not independently verified – showed a mass of flames licking through what seemed to be the roof of one of the legislative buildings.

There was no indication of what caused the fire.

The Houses of Parliament in Cape Town is divided into three portions, the oldest of which was finished in 1884.

The National Assembly is housed in the more recent additions completed in the 1920s and 1980s.

In April, a fire devastated a section of The University of Cape Town's library, destroying a unique collection of African records.