Fire on the Cape Peninsula, 1900–2000

Abstract

In January 2000, the largest fire event yet recorded on the Cape Peninsula burned for six days, threatening lives and property, despite a massive firefighting effort. While acknowledging the bravery and dedication of the firefighting efforts on the Peninsula, the official report into the fires concluded that ‘Shortcomings in the state of veld management, including poor maintenance of firebreaks and the incidence of invasive plants, and weaknesses in the control and coordination of firefighting efforts contributed substantially to the magnitude of the disasters.’ The authors emphasised the increasingly important role the general public and private landowners were required to play in preventing fires (in terms of the new National Veld and Forest Fire Act No.101 of 1998), while lamenting the lack of fire awareness among these individuals.¹

After all the Table Mountain system is a scenic whole, and neither nature’s architect nor fire — nor the tourist — knows anything of boundaries between local and Government authorities.

Cape Times, ‘Up in Smoke’, Editorial, 9 February 1938