Firefighter dies in mountain inferno

A wildfire raging across the mountains outside of Franschhoek has claimed the life of a firefighter in the Western Cape.

Makelepe Cedric Seokoma‚ 36‚ was on duty with a team trying to contain a vegetation fire in Simonsberg when he died on Monday afternoon.

Working on Fire spokesperson Lauren Howard said: “It is with great regret to announce the passing of our beloved assistant project manager‚ Mr Makelepe Cedric Seokoma‚ aged 36.

“Cedrick passed whilst busy with efforts to contain a fire in the Simonsberg mountain near Klapmuts in the Western Cape.”

Seokoma‚ from Limpopo‚ is survived by his wife and children‚ said Howard.

“He will always be remembered by his fellow team members and the fraternity of Working on Fire as a whole for his good sense of humour and dedication to his work. On behalf of Working on Fire management and staff we wish to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt condolences to the Seokoma family for the loss of their loved one.”

Working on Fire is battling two blazes in the Western Cape‚ one in Meiringspoort in the Klein Karoo and another in the Cederberg area.

The organisation is a government-funded job creation programme that employs around 5‚000 fully trained wildfire firefighters across the country. Working on Fire tweeted a video of the fire outside Franschhoek on Monday. 

-TimesLIVE