The Western Cape government has welcomed a suspended two-year prison sentence handed to an arsonist responsible for a wildfire in Paarl that raged across 123ha of vegetation, endangering property and infrastructure.
The blaze, fanned by strong wind, spread quickly after starting on November 30. Drakenstein municipality law enforcement officials apprehended the arsonist.
“This conviction sends a strong message that arson is a serious crime and there are consequences if you are found guilty,” local government, environmental affairs and development planning MEC Anton Bredell said on Thursday.
Colin Deiner, chief director of disaster management and fire/rescue services for the disaster risk management centre, said more than 90% of the wildfires responded to during summer were caused by “human agency”.
“The Western Cape government, with CapeNature, SANParks, City of Cape Town and the five district municipalities, spend about R100m per year combating wildfires, which if left uncontrolled could cause billions of rand in damage to property and result in the deaths of humans and animals,” he said.
“More than 90% of the wildfires our services respond to in the summer season are caused by human agency. In most cases this is due to negligence, but a number are started maliciously and these are usually the most devastating. We recognise the difficulty in identifying the perpetrators of these crimes. It is for this reason that we are deeply appreciative of the work of the community and law enforcement in this case.”
The arsonist was prosecuted under the National Veld and Forest Fire Act and sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for five years.
TimesLIVE
Authorities welcome sentence handed to Paarl arsonist
Image: Drakenstein Municipality/Facebook
The Western Cape government has welcomed a suspended two-year prison sentence handed to an arsonist responsible for a wildfire in Paarl that raged across 123ha of vegetation, endangering property and infrastructure.
The blaze, fanned by strong wind, spread quickly after starting on November 30. Drakenstein municipality law enforcement officials apprehended the arsonist.
“This conviction sends a strong message that arson is a serious crime and there are consequences if you are found guilty,” local government, environmental affairs and development planning MEC Anton Bredell said on Thursday.
Colin Deiner, chief director of disaster management and fire/rescue services for the disaster risk management centre, said more than 90% of the wildfires responded to during summer were caused by “human agency”.
“The Western Cape government, with CapeNature, SANParks, City of Cape Town and the five district municipalities, spend about R100m per year combating wildfires, which if left uncontrolled could cause billions of rand in damage to property and result in the deaths of humans and animals,” he said.
“More than 90% of the wildfires our services respond to in the summer season are caused by human agency. In most cases this is due to negligence, but a number are started maliciously and these are usually the most devastating. We recognise the difficulty in identifying the perpetrators of these crimes. It is for this reason that we are deeply appreciative of the work of the community and law enforcement in this case.”
The arsonist was prosecuted under the National Veld and Forest Fire Act and sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for five years.
TimesLIVE
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