The Western Cape has recorded a notable uptick in the number of wildfires during the recent wildfire season, yet the area affected has significantly decreased compared to previous years, reports Cape {town} Etc.
Provincial Minister for Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning Anton Bredell recently detailed these findings following a briefing from the Provincial Disaster Risk Management Centre.
Between November 2024 and February 2025, the province logged a total of 11 149 veld and wildland fires, which burned approximately 32 187 hectares.
This represents a significant drop from the previous year’s devastating figures, where 78 000 hectares were consumed by wildfires.
The largest incident this season, the Swartberg fire, accounted for 15 545 hectares, demonstrating the challenges that still lie ahead.
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Encouragingly, Minister Bredell noted that there were ‘no fatalities, serious injuries, or major infrastructure losses’ during this wildfire season.
He attributed this success to the province’s long-term investments in firefighting training, equipment and effective cooperation among various agencies involved in disaster response efforts.
The commitment to firefighting has involved substantial financial allocations. The Western Cape Government invested R19.26 million in aerial firefighting, R1.02 million for ground support and R3 million to bolster Fire Protection Associations.
In addition, provincial aerial resources were deployed to manage 63 fires, logging 245 flying hours and dropping over two million litres of water, while ground support racked up an impressive 2 930 operational hours.
Looking toward the future, Bredell emphasised the importance of sustained investment in fire management strategies: ‘With this season done and dusted, our planning for next season is well underway,’ he stated.
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He plans to engage with counterparts at the National Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment to secure ongoing funding for the Working on Fire Programme, crucial for the province’s wildfire response.
However, the minister expressed concern over the lack of support from the South African National Defence Force, as there were again no military helicopters available for deployment during operations in the province.
‘We have been steadily investing in our firefighting capabilities over many years. Since 2016, the Fire Service Capacity Building Grant has delivered 120 firefighting vehicles across the province, and we have installed over 15,000 smoke alarms in high-risk communities,’ Bredell noted.
When including smoke alarms installed in collaboration with other stakeholders, the total exceeds 30 000.
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Picture: WCG
