Arson on Tafelberg

THE City of Cape has confirmed that the latest fire on Tafelberg was due to arson. 

Fire and Rescue Services responded to a fire along the Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) just after 1pm on Monday, 23 February. 

The fire, which was close to Devil’s Peak off Phillip Kgosana Drive, has been confirmed by the City of Cape Town’s mayco member for safety and security, JP Smith, as brandstigting. 

At the time of this fire, three further fires started along the same route. 

Smith said: “Such a situation could quickly result in widespread disaster, following a period of high temperatures in our City over recent days, which has left vegetation dry and flammable - something any arsonist must have been well aware of.

“Fortunately, SANParks quickly activated our aerial firefighting service.”

Firefighting crews from Roeland Street, Salt River, Constantia, and Brooklyn fire stations provided ground support, assisting TMNP firefighting teams. 

All fires were contained, and by 5pm, the roadway was reopened for traffic. 

Smith reiterated that arson is a criminal offence, saying: “In the latest statistics released by SAPS for the last three months of 2025, arson cases have seen a national reduction, except in Gauteng, the Eastern Cape, and the Western Cape.

“We have seen a surge of cases to a record high of 194 dockets that have been registered in just these three months.”

In 2021, a forensic report identified arson as the cause of a fire at nearly the same location, seven months before the local government elections.