'CITY NOT PREPARED FOR FIRES'

AS THE smoke clears from the wildfire that devastated the Tokai-Silvermine-Kalk Bay area last week, political and civil leaders have slammed the City of Cape Town. 

They claim that the City mismanaged the response to the fire that raged across the southern peninsula for five days, with 250 firefighters working around the clock to extinguish the blaze. 

GOOD Party councillor Roscoe Palm questioned the City’s state of readiness, pointing out that the City didn’t make use of all the resources available. 

According to Palm: “What was deployed to fight the Tokai fires is not what mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said was available.”

Palm pointed to discrepancies in official figures: “The Mayor said there were 55 major pumpers and 22 water tankers available. But according to JP Smith, what was actually deployed in Tokai was just 12 major pumpers, five water tankers, and five strike teams.”

Palm accused city officials of choosing public relations over preparedness and also criticised working conditions for firefighters, stating they are being “failed by the very system that relies on their bravery.”

Palm added: “GOOD is calling for a full review of the City’s fire strategy. “The incoming model of 'specialised' fire stations must be interrogated.

“Firefighter rotations must be fair, capacity-building, and free of political favouritism.”

Bas Zuidberg, Chairperson of the Far South Peninsula Community Forum, said: “I do believe the City of Cape Town needs to step up its efforts in managing large open pieces of land. Not all properties are owned by SANParks.” 

He also noted that some residents were forced to pay tolls at Chapman’s Peak while evacuating, calling for better coordination and communication.