City of Cape Town officials have expressed their concern over the environmental impact of recent fires in the Princess Vlei Wetland Park, a provincial heritage site that runs through Grassy Park, Lotus River and Strandfontein.
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Ward 72 councillor Kevin Southgate says it is difficult to accept that the fires in the area, a total of four within four days, were accidental.
‘There must be either something or someone behind the lighting of these fires, which have caused a lot of damage in terms of the environment.’
‘As a City as well as a forum, we have spent hundreds of thousands of rands and to see that work go up in flames is very sad and discouraging.’
He says some of the challenges faced by the Princess Vlei Forum include monitoring the vlei.
‘It is clear from what we have seen that there is no access control to the waterbody, so we find that litter pickers come through the vlei on a daily basis using the area as a sorting facility and leaving their rubbish behind.’
‘Also, people who are stealing copper wires…they use the vlei because it is very difficult to identify them in the thick vegetation, to burn wires and that could also be a cause to the starting of fires,’ he told News24.
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Residents have reportedly noted that some fires were started during the night. ‘Residents have concluded that these can’t be accidental fires because some have started during the night,’ says Southgate.
‘The circumstances are completely different and that leads one to think that fires started at night are deliberate.’
‘An added concern is people who are sleeping in the bush, who would not necessarily set their own ‘home’ alight. I think most of the problems we are experiencing is as a result of people transiting through the area.’
Emma Oliver, secretary of the Princess Vlei Forum, has called for approved park rangers to step in. ‘Over the past five years, we have put a significant amount of time and effort into restoration planting and working with local schools and volunteers to plant fynbos and the type of vegetation that should be found around the vlei.’
‘Restoration planting means restoring to the vlei plants that would have grown there 50 or 100 years ago, such as the Cape Flats sand fynbos that flourish along the vlei.’
‘Residents in all the communities are shocked and concerned by the amount of fires at the vlei and it makes people very suspicious of arson although we are not pointing fingers at anyone.’
‘There is clearly a need for improved security around the vlei and we need to have approved nature rangers who understand about nature.’
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Picture: City of Cape Town / Facebook