| CapeNature to Receive Funding to Assist with Devastating Fires | |
 Due to the number of destructive runaway fires and current extreme weather conditions considerable strain has been placed on CapeNature’s resources.
The Western Cape nature conservation agency, CapeNature, will receive an urgent boost of R2.5 million Rand to assist with the serious losses experienced during recent devastating fires in the Cederberg Nature Reserve. Pierre Uys, the Provincial Minister of local government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning said that these funds would also be used to combat the veld fires that raged in the province during this season. He said that CapeNature required additional trained workers to assist the present staff. Workers from Mpumalanga and the Free State fire teams were called in to assist in fighting fires. Some of the money would go towards daily provisions and transport for these extra teams until the dry season ended. Aerial fire fighting would receive 1 million rand to replenish exhausted funds. Fire destroyed an office complex and provision store in Algeria in the Cederberg Reserve requiring equipment replacement and temporary office accommodation. Independent fire investigators needed to be appointed to determine the cause and origin of the fires. The extra funds were given by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning. A series of fires that began in the Jonkershoek region on February 4th have been ravaging farms and mountains in the Stellenbosch, Somerset West and Sir Lowry’s Pass for nearly three weeks. The most recent flare- up began on the Vergelegen Estate. A powerful South Easter drove flames towards the luxury Wedderwill Estate and shortly before midnight on Sunday 22nd February the entire estate was evacuated as fire burned through the property. Fire fighters managed to save all the estate houses but the estate remained mostly empty with the fire still burning on Monday morning. Max Ellwood a resident who serves on the local fire protection association said he and others believed arson was to blame. He said that the blaze began with four fires which had erupted on the face of the Helderberg within 20 minutes of each other. It is reported that the game animals at the private reserve, including eland, zebra, wildebeest and springbok were able to find refuge. There was much praise for the tremendous dedication of the fire fighters working under extreme conditions.
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