Spirit of generosity and compassion has not left South Africa

The scale of the disaster unfolding on the Garden Route is difficult to comprehend. With dozens of fires raging, 10,000 people evacuated from Knysna alone and hundreds of buildings burnt to the ground, it seems miraculous that there have been only four fatalities.

In fact, since the storm struck Cape Town late on Tuesday, only four incidents have led to loss of life. This probably has a lot to do with Tuesday's decision to close schools throughout the Western Cape, which was the catalyst for universities and businesses to ensure their students and staff stayed at home and out of trouble.

At least 22 schools sustained storm damage on Wednesday, and we can only speculate how much worse the outcome would have been had pupils been present.

The Garden Route fires were less predictable, and the speed at which they spread made proactive management of the unfolding catastrophe virtually impossible.

The full story of the fires has yet to be told - the extent of the damage and the inevitable chaos have made it hard to get a clear picture - but what has quickly become abundantly clear is that South Africans respond magnificently when their fellow citizens are in dire straits.

By midday yesterday a logistics company had made arrangements to deliver donations to Knysna from throughout the country; people have willingly opened their homes to families that have lost theirs; rescuers have put their lives on the line.

Those who have suffered loss in the fires will need fortitude in the days and weeks ahead, and that will be bolstered by the empathy of others who - we are confident - will respond with warmth and generosity.

Fractured as South Africa might often seem from a cursory glance at the headlines, at grass-roots level most of us are on the same side.