South African casino burned down

The oldest hotel casino resort in South Africa was burned to the ground in the early hours of yesterday morning.

South African trade publication Gaming for Africa reports that Peermont Hotels’ Mmabatho Palms was badly damaged in the blaze, which is being investigated by the police and the fire service.

There were no injuries among the guests, although some were treated for smoke inhalation. The extent of the devastation can be seen from the aerial photograph.

The Mmabatho Palms was the first casino resort in the country built by Sol Kerzner in 1977 and opened initially as Mmabatho Sun. It was then acquired by Tusk Resorts in 1997 and then by Peermont group in 2006. It was renamed the Mmabatho Palms in 2009.