Minister Anton Bredell thanks Kleinmond firefighters and firefighting entities
Anton Bredell, Western Cape Minister of Local Government, Environmental affairs and Development Planning today thanked all the firefighters and firefighting entities who worked together to put out the Kleinmond fire after 4 days of extensive and coordinated firefighting.
Bredell said: “I want to thank our brave firefighters and the many other officials across these entities for their cooperation and effort under difficult conditions. With wildfire management, coordinated support is essential for success.”
The effort involved the following firefighting entities:
- The Provincial Disaster Management Centre
- The City of Cape Town
- The Overberg District Municipality
- The Overstrand Municipality
- CapeNature
- Volunteer wildfire services
- The Department of Health (Emergency Medical Services)
- Working on Fire
- HARSA
- Overberg Wildfire Volunteers
- Greater Overberg Fire Protection Association
- Landowners
Bredell said in the end, more than 5400ha of fynbos and pine plantations were burned, one building was destroyed and preliminary agricultural damages include 10ha of commercial fynbos. Mopping up and monitoring will continue for the next few weeks as some areas of dense alien vegetation will continue to smolder.
“We are now investigating the cause of the fire and will do an estimate of the total damages and costs accrued during the operation. We were extremely fortunate this time that no human life was lost, which is always the number one priority during these operations,” Bredell said.
Bredell said the number one cause of wildfires are human actions, and as such, he urges people to be responsible and careful when dealing with fires. “It would be sad to know that all the resources, time, money and risk to personnel, as well as the destruction of thousands of hectares of land could have been prevented through different human behavior,” he said.
Bredell said the Province has several initiatives aimed at creating awareness and influencing behavior regarding fire safety, as prevention is always the cheaper option.
Proactive measures from the Western Cape Government includes a public awareness programme which CapeNature runs on several media platforms each year to inform the public on fire prevention and management, but also the importance of rapid reporting of fires.
The Provincial Disaster Management Centre runs several initiatives which focus on proactive training and coordination between the various fire services.
The Department of Local Government currently runs a social media campaign which informs people on residential and veld fires.
The public can call 112 toll-free on any cell phone and request a free connection to the local fire services to report any possible veld fires.
For more information, visit:
Related News
A follow up: The potential impacts of Red Swamp crayfish in Western Cape waters
Since first being found in the canal systems of lower Olifants River in 2022 by CapeNature officials, invasive Red Swamp Crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) are being found further afield in the Western Cape at an alarming rate. This freshwater species is globally recognised as a seriously damaging invasive species.
Over 43 000 Cape Gannets on Lambert’s Bay Bird Island this breeding season
Bird Island is alive with the sounds and spectacle of seabirds, with an estimated over 43 000 Cape Gannets currently making the island their home this breeding season. The thriving colony reinforces Bird Island, Lambert’s Bay, as one of South Africa’s most important gannet breeding sites and highlights the impact of ongoing marine conservation work.
Water Week: Protecting Our Most Precious Resource
Water is fundamental to life and essential to our daily wellbeing. While this may seem widely understood, it remains important to continually remind ourselves of the value of this finite resource. Although approximately 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered by water, only about 2.5% of it is freshwater available to sustain ecosystems and human needs.
New SASS accreditor supports river biomonitoring in the Western Cape
CapeNature continues to strengthen its role in freshwater conservation through the expertise of its staff, with freshwater ecologist Jeanne Gouws receiving her South African Scoring System (SASS) accreditation as an accreditor. Having successfully passed every three-yearly assessment since 2007, she is now the official Western Cape SASS accreditor.
GreenLaw Foundation empowers CapeNature in marine criminal law training
The GreenLaw Foundation successfully hosted a three-day mock criminal trial training program for CapeNature and other state officials, who could be called as state witnesses, focusing on marine-related biodiversity criminal cases. The programme was held at the Betty’s Bay Boat Club, Stoney Point, from 17 to 19 February 2026.
Western Cape adds over 81 000 hectares of new nature reserves in the past year
The Western Cape has added over 20 new nature reserves to its Protected Area network, securing more than 81 715 hectares of ecologically significant land for long-term conservation. Declared between April 2025 and March 2026, these new reserves strengthen the province’s efforts to protect important landscapes, species, and vegetation types.