DA appeals for aerial firefighting assistance

8 October 2022

Note to Editors: Please find attached soundbites in English & Afrikaans from Willie Aucamp, MP.

The DA has made an urgent call on provincial government to support firefighting initiatives in the Kalahari region with airplanes and helicopters.

The desperate plea has come from firefighting teams that have been battling raging fires in the area between Kuruman and Danielskuil, Kuruman and Kathu, and in the Lohatlha area, for the past three days.

The fires have broken out in the exact same area as they did in 2021 and have caused untold damage to thousands of hectares of land and livestock. Three houses, in the Savanna area between Kuruman and Danielskuil, also burnt to the ground

DA councillor, Braam van der Westhuizen has been out on the ground, monitoring the fires. See pic here and here.

The DA expresses our thanks to all farmers, organisations and private individuals for their ongoing efforts to try and extinguish the fires.

We also note the assistance provided by Gamagara municipality and the John Taole Gaetsewe District Municipality but we are concerned that there has been no assistance by Gasegonyana municipality.

I have spoken to Agriculture MEC, Mase Manopole, appealing for the provision of aerial assistance in fighting the fires and to assist with the urgent provision of feed to animals.

As soon as the fire is under control, I will also be requesting the Premier, Dr Zamani Saul, to declare a provincial disaster in respect of the burnt area.

Having to experience such crippling devastation two years in a row, is an extreme burden on especially our farmers and it will be crucial to ensure that support is immediately availed to assist those who have incurred damages and to provide ongoing feed for the surviving livestock.

Issued by Willie Aucamp, Constituency Head of Kalahari, 8 October 2022