Watch: Free State fire damage recovery cost estimated at R400m

Flames spreading over kilometres and kilometres have destroyed more than 100,000 hectares across the Free State, causing millions of rands worth of damage. Various departments have called for the area to be declared as a state of disaster following the devastating fires.

“The agricultural community in these areas are in dire need of urgent assistance from government and the Democratic Alliance (DA) has therefore requested the necessary processes are put in place to declare the area a disaster area in a letter to the premier of the Free State,” Dr Roy Jankielsohn leader of the official opposition in the Free State Legislature said.

“This will facilitate the allocation of the necessary resources to assist the affected communities.”

Parliamentary Communication Services’ Sureshinee Govender confirmed the portfolio committee on agriculture, land reform and rural development had called on Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Thoko Didiza to declare the areas in the Free State and Northern Cape affected by huge, widespread veld fires disaster areas.

Gys Olivier, a local farmer representing Hertzogville, said the damage in the district amounted to about R400 million.

“The first fire broke out on [16 October] when the sparks from a grinder caught fire. The wind picked up in Boshof and the fire started spreading. Just when we got the first fire under control, a second fire broke out in Hertzogville where tyres were allegedly burned on Sunday.

“The area is in a very dry and flammable state. The strong winds that kept changing direction also did not help.”

Olivier said all the fires in the Free state area were extinguished. “About 100,000 hectares of land have been damaged.”

Olivier said he could not comment on the allegations of arson. Andre Jansen van Rensburg, a farmer from neighbouring town Bultfontein, said they received a call out for the second fire around sunset on Sunday.

“By this time, the fire had spread wide and we worked until 2am to extinguish it. By 10am that morning the fire started again.” He said the fire had only done a small amount of damage in their town.

“We had a lot of close calls, fire is not your friend especially not in these high temperatures and strong winds.”

Jacques van Zyl, a local farmer from another neighbouring town, Hoopstad, said 37,500 hectares of farm burned between Hoopstad and Hertzogville. He said two farmers lost livestock in the fire.

“The one farmer lost 98 of 100 cows and another farmer lost 140 cattle.”

Van Zyl said a young farmer, Tewie Nel, who sustained third-degree burns to his face, leg and arm while fighting the fire is stable in an intensive care unit and recovering.

Martin Nel, a farmer from Dealesville district, said it was a miracle the fire didn’t reach their town.

“Boshof, Hertzogville and Bultfontein are all our neighbouring communities.”

Bertus van der Westhuizen, chairman of TLU SA, said the winds were abnormal this year. “Especially here in the Northern Free State. Usually, we get this type of winds in August, not in October. The rain season is also late, between 1 and 10 October we can usually expect our first rains.”

Van der Westhuizen said help from as far as the North West and Limpopo had poured in to help the farmers affected by the fires. Jurg Prinsloo, leader of the Afrikaner Self-determination Party, said the party noted with disgust the repeated actions of people in the country recently which have caused damage.

“In this case, intentional arson in the Free State over the past weekend, which caused huge misery for the farming community in the Free State,” Prinsloo said on Wednesday. He said the party would insist those guilty were tracked down and prosecuted.

– marizkac@citizen.co.za

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