KZN fire death toll may be 30+
2008-09-02 15:38
Durban - Most of the major fires which raged through KwaZulu-Natal have been brought under control and authorities are attempting to ascertain the final death toll.
The KwaZulu-Natal provincial cabinet were reported to be in a meeting on Tuesday afternoon. They were expected to announce updated fatality figures later in the day.
The last official death toll given on Monday afternoon by KwaZulu-Natal's local government MEC Mike Mabuyakhulu stood at 14 people killed and 59 injured.
However, figures bandied about by municipal officials seem to indicate that this figure may in fact be higher with 12 deaths each being reported in the Mthonjaneni and Ntambanana municipalities.
This means that the eventual death toll could be over 30.
Ntambanana municipal manager Ray Mnguni said there was "very little left" in the municipality that had not been burnt. The rural municipality is located midway between the towns of Empangeni and Melmoth.
No estimates
"I can't even begin to estimate the damage. I am aware of 179 homes [burnt], but I can't give you any estimates. It's too early," he said.
Mnguni said provincial officials, including KwaZulu-Natal premier Sbu Ndebele had visited the area on Monday, but that so far there had been no help forthcoming.
He said the municipality would be opening an account for people to make donations towards the relief efforts. Details would be announced shortly.
There has been little information on the extent of damage in the remote district municipalities of Umkhanyakude (Ndumo and Manguzi areas) near the Mozambican border, the Zululand District municipality and the Umzinyathi district.
Rural metro operations manager Dave Whitaker said there had been fires near Manguzi.
Provincial agriculture MEC Mtholephi Mthimkulu said he had instructed officials of his department to undertake an urgent stock take of the areas affected to determine what assistance his department would need to render.
He said campaigns to educate people about the dangers of fires would also be launched.
A municipal official in Melmoth told Sapa on condition of anonymity that the damage to commercial farmland in the area was being estimated in the region of R263m. However, the total figure was likely to be much higher.
KwaZulu-Natal Agriculture Union chief executive Sandy La Marque said a preliminary assessment had revealed that in Melmoth the damage was estimated at R296m.
Failing to deliver
She said she still did not have figures for damage to commercial farmland in other areas.
Meanwhile the main opposition party in the province, the Inkatha Freedom Party, has criticised Mabuyakhulu's department.
IFP agriculture spokesperson Henry Combrinck said: "Clearly very little if anything has been done in terms of prevention to help the areas and farmers that are likely to be affected by wildfires.
"For all its rhetoric, the provincial government has failed to deliver on its promises to help the victims of last year's wildfires, let alone provide enough support for the current ones," said Combrinck on Tuesday.
He said the IFP would be demanding that the ruling party provide the provincial legislature with "a comprehensive strategy detailing measures to help prevent large-scale wildfire damage in the future".
- SAPA