Teams of wildland fire fighters from the government funded Working on Fire Programme (WoF) were called to assist at 38 wildfires on Monday, 36 on Tuesday and 36 on Wednesday using their trained “hotshot” teams. 

WoF’s Hotshot teams worked alongside partner organizations such as municipalities, conservation authorities and Fire Protection Associations.

Roelof Geyser, WoF’s Free State general manager, confirmed a farmworker died while fighting a wildfire near Vredefort and two motorists were killed when they encountered smoke from the same fire.

“A flock of sheep was also destroyed in that fire,” said Geyser.

In Limpopo Province near Thabazimbi, the Sunset Ranch game lodge lost eight rondavels, a house and other buildings when an out of control bushfire swept through the region.

Sam Maepa, WoF’s Limpopo general manager, said an estimated 50 000 hectares of bushveld were lost to the wildfire.

“These wildfires are very hot,” he said, “landowners must follow the National Veld and Forest Fire Act and ensure firebreaks are in place.”
The consequences of not taking safety precautions caused havoc when a wildfire swept into an inhabited area, he said.  

Near Potchefstroom in the North West Province an estimated 600 head of cattle, some horses and storage buildings were burned in a wildfire that was eventually controlled on Wednesday, 24 August. Several other wildfires in the province and neighboring Gauteng were also controlled with the assistance of WoF.

Kobus Visser, WoF’s North West and Gauteng provincial manager, said mop-up operations were underway in the province and in Gauteng and hotshot teams would soon be able to rest.

In KwaZulu Natal where 14 fires were reported to WoF, provincial manager, Bobby Hoole, said the worst wildfires had been in Zululand with some in the Midlands.

“On the whole the combined wild firefighting effort is good. With Fire Protection Associations in place there is a lot more co-ordination and the response time is quicker. This is preventing a lot of damage.”

Altogether, over the past three days, 31 WoF hotshot teams have been on wildfire lines across the country while two spotter planes and two choppers have each responded to seven wildfires.

The winter wildfire season runs from May 1 to October 31 in the dry north, east and central regions of South Africa. The recent fires were made worse because of heavy fuel loads following good summer rains which then dried out with the coming of frost. This week’s wild fires were fanned by high winds.

The Working on Fire Programme, (WoF) implemented by the FFA Group, was founded in 2003 to develop and implement Integrated Fire Management practice in South Africa. It operates as a multi-million-job creation programme that is supported by National Government.


Issued by HWB Communications Pty Ltd
On Behalf of Working on Fire

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Evelyn Holtzhausen
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