Newlands Forest reopens as firefighters leave mountain

Newlands Forest will reopen to the public on Saturday, almost a week after a wildfire swept across Table Mountain National Park (TMNP).

Paths that will be reopened to the public include; Newlands Forest, Devils Peak towards Platteklip footpath, Molteno jeep track towards Kloofnek, Atlantic Seaboard (Camps Bay, Kasteelspoort etc), Constantia Nek, Lions Head, Signal Hill, and Cecilia Forest.

According to TMNP Park Manager, Frans van Rooyen, permitted recreational activities in the reopened areas mentioned above will continue as before, including hiking and dog walking with visitors, “… kindly requested to remain on demarcated footpaths and to be mindful of rules pertaining to keeping dogs under control”.

SANParks spokesperson Babalwa Dlangamandla said while the Newlands Forest area would reopen, other affected areas remain closed to the public. These include Deer Park, the City Bowl, and Rhodes Memorial sections of the park.

“This will allow the rangers an opportunity to resume with the rehabilitation work including tree cutting and footpath maintenance,” Van Rooyen said in a statement on Friday.

“SANParks wishes to thank members of the public for the ongoing support and will continue to provide updates on progress made as information becomes available,” he added.

The fire, which started on Sunday morning, has destroyed around 650 hectares of the park.

At least 11 buildings have been damaged in the fire, including historic buildings on UCT’s campus and the iconic Mostert’s Mill in Mowbray. Thousands of students and Capetonians were evacuated on Sunday and Monday.

Firefighting crews have withdrawn from most of the affected areas, with firefighters stationed only on UCT’s Upper Campus on Friday, confirmed City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue spokesperson Jermaine Carelse.

At the height of efforts to control the blaze, over 250 firefighters were deployed to the frontline. They were given aerial support by at least four helicopters when weather permitted.