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The City of Cape Town has mandated that South African National Parks (SANParks) open a case of arson after monumental damage caused by the recent Table Mountain wildfires, reports Cape {town} Etc.

City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith, shared a post to Facebook, wherein he detailed suspicions of arson pertaining to the recent wildfires.

Smith took to Facebook to cast allegations upon ‘an opposition party known for their past blatant attempts to disrupt operational activities within the directorate.’

He essentially alleges that a few weeks ago this party had attacked the Fire & Rescue Service provided by the City and the ‘baseless’ allegations were quickly debunked.

The party alleged that the fire service was ‘under resourced’ and following the allegations, a fire broke out in the early hours of the morning, reigniting multiple times and scattering to various locations.

In the shared post, Smith further confirmed that the City’s resources have been deployed to the affected areas to assist workers on the ground and assess the situation.

‘With a fire breaking out high in the early hours of Sunday morning on the mountain range above Newlands, we have been working hard to assist SANParks in trying to extinguish the blaze,’ said Smith.

A spotter plane had already been in the air when various other fires had sparked. The plane was then diverted to the Simon’s Town area in order to provide an assessment of another reported fire.

‘The visual evidence we received was startling. The fire had been started directly alongside a deserted road, and now, just minutes later, no person was in sight.’

‘Our resources were despatched and attended to all major incidents simultaneously. The suspicion and circumstances around these incidents are cause for concern, and while some persons may be going to great lengths to cause a negative perception of our Fire and Rescue Service being inadequate.’
‘Such political games can have devastating consequences, resulting in the loss of life and damage to property.’

Ultimately, Smith instructed the management team to provide any and all evidence to SANParks, the custodian of the Table Mountain National Park.

Following the provision of evidence, Smith pleaded that SANParks open up a criminal case for arson and launch a forensic investigation.

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Newlands fire update: These hiking trails reopen as crews reach containment

Picture: SANParks / Facebook

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