Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning
(1) (a) What is the total surface area affected by the Helderberg fire of June 2022, (b) how much of this is (i) private and (ii) public land respectively, (c) how much of the public land that was affected by the fire belonged to the (i) City of Cape Town, (ii) Western Cape Government and (iii) national government, (d) what percentage of the area affected by the fire could be classified as (i) natural fynbos, (ii) nature reserve, (iii) plantation and (iv) forest and (e) how many years have lapsed since the last time that the various sections of the fynbos burned;
(2) whether there were any firebreaks in the area that burned; if so, (a) in what condition were they and (b) to what extent did they assist with the firefighting efforts?
[1]. [a] The total calculated surface area of the Helderberg fire was 2368 hectares.
[b][i] 34% was private land (808ha): and
[ii] 66% public land (1560ha).
[c] [i] 10% of which was City of Cape Town land [246hectares]
[ii] 13% Western Cape Government land [451hectares], i.e.
CapeNature-managed Nature Reserves.
[iii]36% National Government (363hectares), Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries.
[d] [i]42% natural fynbos and renosterveld vegetation [1004 hectares], excluding that which occurs on Nature Reserves
[ii]19% nature reserve (451 hectares)
[iii]36% plantations (863 hectares)
[iv]no natural forest occurs within the burned area.
[e] Almost 70% of the calculated area burned was between eleven [11] and thirteen [13] years old, but various smaller patches previously burned as recently as two [2)years ago and as long ago as thirty- one [31] years ago.
[2] [a] Some of the firebreaks that burnt through were cleared in 2021/2022 financial year.
[b] Some of the firebreaks were instrumental in overall structure protection as well as preventing further damage and spread of the fire.
