The Mthatha Magistrates' Court was evacuated this afternoon when a portion of the building caught on fire.
Police spokesperson, Lieutenant-Colonel Mzukisi Fatyela, says the fire broke out during lunchtime and that it is not yet clear what started it.
Fatyela said the fire appeared to have started in an office where cases are captured and dockets are kept.
He said the fire was eventually put out by fire fighters and that no one was injured.
He added that they managed to remove most of the case dockets which were in the affected office.
He said prisoners who were due to make court appearances were moved to a safer place and that police had opened an arson docket.
