At a media briefing today, Tuesday, 15 October 2024, at Parliament in Cape Town, the Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment, Bernice Swarts, urged all South Africans to take greater responsibility in protecting communities and our environment from the devastating effects of wildfires.
Joined by Minister Dion George and Deputy Minister Narend Singh, they jointly addressed the media about the successes achieved within the Ministry during their first 100 days in office.
Deputy Minister Swarts emphasised the role of the Working on Fire program, which manages wildfire incidents on behalf of the Department, and she acknowledged that a lot of work has been done with the program which operates throughout the various provinces in South Africa.
She further said that due to the increasing challenges posed by climate change, the country is experiencing different types of wildfires due to heat waves and strong winds. “Even farmers can’t control fires without knowing what wind speeds will be prevalent on a specific day”, she said.
Highlighting the recent fires in the North West, Free State, and KwaZulu-Natal provinces, Deputy Minister Swarts also stated that the South African Weather Services has indicated that strong winds in Limpopo will pose wildfire risks, something that was not experienced before.
She also noted the department’s collaboration with Fire Protection Associations to enhance wildfire management is progressing well.
Deputy Minister Swarts also said that the, “Department will be doing verification of fire breaks on farms, as some farmers are not doing their prescribed fire breaks and that this cant be accepted by the Department, it can’t be that we are only called in when aerial support is needed. Everyone must take responsibility to prevent fires”.
The Deputy Minister stressed that wildfire prevention is a collective effort, calling on the communities to remain vigilant and proactive.
She pointed out the need for increased awareness, particularly among vehicle drivers, citing a recent incident in the Free State where a discarded cigarette sparked a wildfire.
