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Anton Bredell, minister for local government, environmental affairs and development planning in the Western Cape recently received a briefing from the provincial disaster risk management centre on the past wildfire season.
“We were very fortunate that there were no fatalities, serious injuries, or major infrastructure losses that occurred in wildfires during the past season. We believe this is a result of long-term investment in training, equipment, and effective coordination between the various agencies involved, minister Bredell said.
Although the Western Cape’s 2024/25 wildfire season, running from November 2024 to April 2025, recorded a significant increase in fire frequency, there was a marked reduction in total area burned, compared to the previous year. A total of 11 149 veld and wildland fires were reported between November 2024 and February 2025, with approximately 32 187 hectares burned. This is down from 78 000 hectares in 2023/24. The largest single incident this season, the Swartberg fire, accounted for 15 545 hectares.
Provincial aerial resources were deployed to 63 fires, with 245 flying hours logged, and more than 2 million liters of water dropped. Ground support contributed 2 930 operational hours. The Western Cape government allocated R19,26 million for aerial firefighting, R1,02 million for ground support, and R3 million to support fire protection associations.
Securing future funding
“With this season done and dusted, our planning for next season is well underway, and I plan to meet with counterparts at our National Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) to discuss the future of the Working on Fire programme to secure future funding for firefighting in the Western Cape.
We repeat our concern about the lack of aerial support from the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). During the past season there were again no military helicopters available for deployment during operations in our province,” minister Bredell said.
Planning for next season
“We have been steadily investing in our firefighting capabilities over many years. Since 2016, the Fire Service Capacity Building Grant has delivered 120 firefighting vehicles across the province, and we have installed over 15 000 smoke alarms in high-risk communities. If we include smoke alarms installed together with other stakeholders, this number doubles to more than 30 000 alarms.
“The past season underscores the importance of sustained investment in aerial capacity, pre-season mitigation, and community fire safety education,” Minister Bredell said. – Press release, curated by Plaas Media.
