While people who have lost their homes begin to take stock and rangers try to determine the devastation to wildlife, the raging wild fires that tore through Mabalingwe Game Reserve in the Waterberg mountains just outside Bela Bela are raging on.
The Mabalingwe Nature Reserve said a staff member was severely burnt while assisting with firefighting efforts on Sunday. He was caught in the flames when the wind turned suddenly and is currently in hospital receiving treatment.
The fire that spread across more than 8,800 hectares of bushveld over the long weekend continued on Monday with calls mounting for the area to be declared a disaster as firefighters from as far as Tshwane were called in.
“It's definitely not over. It is over for us at Mabalingwe, but the home of friends near Bela Bela is under direct threat,” said Sandy Morton.
She and her husband Alan lost their home of 16 years on Saturday and have been left only with their passports, car, a rescued squirrel and the clothes they were wearing.
“It was the most devastating thing I have ever seen. The winds were so strong and the heat was terrible. We were home when it happened, but obviously you don't want to leave. After they dumped 30,000 litres on the house and management came to evacuate everybody we had to leave so we met with everyone at the gate at about 1pm,” she told TimesLIVE Premium.
“It has been a rough time. There was nothing more anyone could do. We know of at least four other families who have also lost their homes, like us, and don't have another home to go to,” Morton said.
She said as “resilient” South Africans they were coping “hour by hour” with the situation.
“It's heartbreaking. I cannot imagine the loss in terms of wildlife. Ground nesting birds and tortoises, all those little animals are dead,” she said, adding that the outpouring of support from farmers and the local community has been overwhelming.
The latest available information on Monday was that all staff on the reserve were alive and were out in the area helping to fight the fires.
“Our rangers are out in the veld this morning to monitor the game and their health. All animals at the Boschpoort Predators Sanctuary are alive and in good health. We are trying to count the number of houses we have lost,” Mabalingwe spokesperson Engela Bondesio told TimesLIVE Premium on Monday.
The fire started in the mountains on Saturday afternoon and by Sunday had moved towards the resort. By then all firefighting units in the area had joined forces and were working to bring the wild fires under control.
Dry and windy conditions were making the battle difficult. There was a high risk of sparking more dangerous fires.
Bondesio said they were putting together a formal statement about the situation with information streaming into the Mabalingwe ops room.
Financial contributions, animal feed, game pellets, lucerne, teff, oats, blue buffalo grass and salt licks were the priority needs listed.
“We are working hard to gather accurate information and assess the situation. Speculation and unverified information can hinder our efforts and potentially cause unnecessary panic,” she said, speaking on behalf of the Mabalingwe reserve, Boschpoort Safaris, Ludum Game Consortium and the Mabalingwe Common Property Association.
The area is in extreme need of aid as homes have been lost along with game feed. Financial contributions, animal feed, game pellets, lucerne, teff, oats, blue buffalo grass and salt licks were the priority needs listed.
The FF Plus on Monday called for Limpopo premier Stanley Mathabatha to declare Bela Bela and surrounds a disaster area.
FF Plus councillor Jee-Dee Cloete, who has been involved in firefighting initiatives, said farmers, local communities and fire associations were fighting relentlessly to contain the fires on Monday afternoon.
The R516 Thabazimbi road between Mabalingwe's gate and Ingolozi Park was temporarily closed late on Sunday due to poor visibility. It has been reopened, but Cloete said there is still a lot of smoke in the area.
Firefighters from the Tshwane metro have been called in to assist due to the risks facing the residential areas of Pienaarsrivier and Hammanskraal.
The Mabalingwe Nature Reserve said in a statement on Monday the “devastating” wildfire had started at about 2pm on Saturday on a neighbouring farm before sweeping through Mabalingwe Nature Reserve in the Waterberg Mountains, located 27km west of Bela-Bela.
“The cause of the fire is still unknown.
“Mabalingwe comprises about 8,800 hectares and has been an established holiday destination since the early 1990s. Mabalingwe has 205 privately owned houses (also known as lodges), 105 timeshare chalets, a caravan park and various commercial entities.
“With strong winds propelling the fire from the north, the fire rapidly widened to a front measuring several kilometres from end to end. More than 100 fire protection workers from the local team and staff tried to contain the fire through Saturday night. They found some success yet were not able to put the fire fully down. On Sunday morning the winds picked up again and spread the fire further and caused havoc, resulting in 56 private houses burnt to the ground, with a further eight houses partially damaged. A bush camp and one timeshare chalet were also destroyed.”
The impact on animals within the reserve is still being assessed, with the reserve estimating 6,000 hectares of grazing was consumed by the fire.
All guests and residents staying on the reserve over the weekend were evacuated, starting on Sunday morning.
“While the fire has since been brought under control on the reserve, firefighters are still on the scene managing the fire in the greater Bela-Bela area,” the reserve said. “The extremely dry environment and windy conditions, as well as the mountainous terrain, have made for extremely challenging conditions for those that have been fighting the fire.”
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