Homeowners, farmers, agricultural holdings and firefighting associations in many parts of Pretoria and its surroundings were extensively affected by the fires fuelled by winds of up to 30km/hour on September 27.
The areas affected include Hoefyster, Bos Boma, Sinagoge, Mamba, Rinkshals, Ma Tala Tala, Kameelkop Ma Tala Tala, Kameelkop, Kleinplaas, Leeukloof, Dewagensdrift, Magaliesberg and Buffelsdrift.
In the east, there were fires in the Lynnwood extension, Bronberg and Cullinan as well as Roodeplaat.
The devastating fires also swept through Welbekend, Tierpoort, Rietvlei and surrounding areas.
Firefighters in Kameeldrift found an elderly woman dead in her home while Iain Gordon, a helper in the Cullinan Firefighting Association, was admitted to Steve Biko Hospital in Pretoria with third-degree burns.
Some fire associations forecast that more October winds will make their task more difficult. A thorough survey of what they need for fire prevention and fighting in the future and help from the public will make the way forward easier.
A feature of the incidents across Pretoria is how communities came together to strengthen each other’s hand.
Zenobia Loock du Plessis of the Sinoville Fire Fighting Association (SBBV) said the fire along the Magaliesberg spread within two hours and put association volunteers under serious pressure and fire equipment was damaged during the dousing of the flames.
“We have a large area in Sinoville up to the highway where we had to fight fires in neighbourhoods as well. But the bigger fire on the mountain was really a challenge for longer than just the weekend as it flared up repeatedly in the first week of October,” she said.
She said the association will train new volunteers on the weekend of 4 and 5 October in anticipation of future fires.
“We need more trained men and women,” urged Du Plessis.
For SBBV volunteers, the support of the community policing forums in proving food, water and encouragement was encouraging.
In Lynnwood extension in Pretoria east, especially around Graham Road and Bronberg, numerous structures suffered damage.
The house of Mar-Het Magnus and Johan Krige in Bronberg was completely destroyed within 15 minutes and they only left with a few clothes.
“I looked up and saw the sky looked orange, went outside and saw how the wind was blowing across the field of the mountain. Then my husband told us to pack and hit the road,” said Magnus. The structure had a thatched roof and only the walls remained standing.
Magnus and her family have not only lost a beloved place to live but “a piece of our family’s past”. There were numerous family heirlooms in the house.
Magnus’ son’s birthday was a week after the fire and she was sad that she could not bake him the usual birthday cake.
“You have to start completely from scratch, like getting baking pans for a birthday cake,” she said.
The support the family received from the community and friends amazed her. They will be able to temporarily live on a neighbour’s farm who went as far as “buying my children’s beds”.
She also lost her laptop in the fire, which she needs for work purposes, but takes heart from the fact that they were able to create a routine for themselves and the children again just to get back on their feet emotionally and otherwise.
Alwine Strauss, spokesperson for development organisation Kamcare said that in Cullinan, nine houses burned down.
Kamcare helps in the area with the development work at 31 creches.
She finds that each family’s experience of such trauma differs.
“The consequences are overwhelming for families. Suddenly a family of five has to move in with a grandmother and there may just not be room or resources to share and care,” she said.
Kamcare also helps with the collection of goods for fire victims.
“However, we do make provision to also keep reserves here at our site for families to fetch when it comes to large donations such as household goods. Most victims will indicate they don’t need it right now because they have nowhere to go with it. There is a loss and desolation in such words. It’s such a big trauma,” she said.
Currently, Kamcare helps with food parcels, especially meat donated by members of the community.
She said the donation of water tanks to families and fire associations will especially be welcome to prevent and reduce damage next time.
Bennie van Zyl, general manager of the Transvaal Agricultural Union, said farmers and their livestock in and around Pretoria as well as nationwide have been extensively affected by the wildfires.
“We are still awaiting final reports to launch a co-ordinated effort to use our Trauma Fund to alleviate distress,” said Van Zyl.
Over the years, the organisation has found that in the aftermath of fires, it often helps to give especially small-scale farmers such as Pretoria’s farmers a grant to buy their livestock feed pills.
Cullinan farmer Jaco Malan said the impact is worse when fires damage electricity infrastructure.
“These fires were the perfect storm with harrowing and unpredictable winds left and right. And when the power didn’t work, the communication between people is undone after a while, water pump stations don’t work, and a lack of electricity is bad, especially for people in rural areas,” Malan said.
Although arson is suspected, Malan said it is difficult to prove and always, it is often not a priority for law enforcement to investigate.
“We are in a corner. The fire brigade does not help with wildfires, the metro police cannot make arrests. In the last 12 years, I can tell you that not a single person in this area has been prosecuted for violating the fire law,” he said.
André van Heerden, chairman of the firefighting association in the Juliette sector in Cullinan and surroundings said there were instances in which firefighters had to sift through debris to ensure fires did not flare up again.
Van Heerden said he was saddened to hear that a resident who had helped a team he led fight a large fire in Boekenhoutskloof on September 30 suffered third-degree burns and had to be taken to Steve Biko Hospital.
“This individual operates a plumbing business, but due to his condition, he will not be able to work for the foreseeable future. He also has no financial support to cover his medical expenses or other unforeseen costs. Any assistance, whether financial or otherwise, would be greatly appreciated. This would be greatly appreciated to ensure that he receives the proper medical care and support during his recovery,” said Van Heerden.
Pieter Braak, who together with volunteer firefighters in Kameeldrift-east had to keep the fires under control, said the battle is continuously complicated by winds that sometimes gusted more than 30km/h.
“The weather and winds are also to blame for the worsening of the fires. In the first week of October, we still had to jump [put] in nine hours a day to prevent the coals and veld from catching fire again because of the wind,” said Braak.
“There is simply no shelter for man or animal once the winds and the fires start and our task is and continues to be to put human lives before saving structures.”
How fire victims can be helped:
– Cullinan: Liezel Landman at Kamcare: 072 150 3994
– Household necessities for victims and food
Farmers in all the areas that experienced wildfires: https://www.tlu.co.za/tlu-traumafonds/
Individual burn victims use the Back ‘n Buddy group funding facility into which deposits can be made in their name: https://www.backabuddy.co.za/home
Sinoville FireFighting Association: Equipment for firefighters such as headlamps and fire-resistant clothing. Email: info@sbbv.co.za
Numerous animals have already been brought to the South African Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre with severe burn injuries, and it remains on 24/7 standby to assist further.
If you come across injured wildlife, you can contact the centre immediately: Leanne (Pretoria area): 082 852 2510; Val de Grace Vet Crew: 012 003 4234; 012 804 8901
– Watch: Video of the fire in Cullinan:
– Animals being saved during the fires: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/AedhbtqGkUo6LytE/
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