Thursday (June 7) marked the one-year anniversary of the Garden Route fires. Over the course of the past year there have been many developments to ensure the Garden Route recovers from the disaster.
Western Cape Minister of Economic Opportunities, Tourism and Agriculture, Alan Winde, paid tribute to those impacted by last year’s incident. “There is still a long way to go, but due to the generosity of individuals and corporates, the work of several government departments and partnerships with the private sector, we have managed to do some important work,” says Winde.
The fire necessitated the deployment of the largest contingent of fire fighters and emergency personnel for a single operation in South African history. “The Department of Local Government and Environmental Affairs, and Provincial Disaster Risk Management, were instrumental in ensuring that fires were put out safely. In addition, the Western Cape Government provided funding, resources and support across the board,” comments Winde.
The focus in the first six months after the fire was on short-term interventions to minimise further risks, such as preventing landslides on slopes that had been made unstable as a result of burned out vegetation. During this period, a comprehensive disaster funding request was submitted to national government, and approval of some disaster funds is expected soon, according to Winde.
A project management office was established to drive and coordinate projects and devise a recovery strategy. “This long-term strategy will use the opportunity to create more jobs, address the lack of affordable accommodation in the area, protect the environment, and put plans in place to ensure that this does not happen again,” says Winde.
He continues: “In order to help the economy recover, the focus has been on increasing tourism by creating focused projects, and setting up skills development programmes.”
The Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DEDAT) seconded an official to lead the Garden Route Rebuild Initiative, which focused its work on seven different work streams, namely, humanitarian assistance, reconstruction, environmental management, business support, and infrastructure rehabilitation, skills development, funding and resourcing.
In Knysna, the Karkerville Trail was rerouted in December 2017 pending the recovery of the burnt area; however the coastal portion of the trail remains closed. An alternative scenic route was opened along the coastal ridge. The Kranshoek Trail and Kranshoek Viewpoint are both still closed. Maintenance work is currently underway at Kranshoek Trail, with 90% of the route complete, however rehabilitation and rebuilding on the route are still underway, reports Knysna Plett Herald.
The following includes some of the projects, funding and ongoing support offered by the Western Cape Government over the past year:
The Department of Local Government and Environmental Affairs, Provincial Disaster Management.
- Properties with asbestos were identified and property owners instructed to remove the rubble safely. However, some owners still dumped asbestos on municipal land, and in April 2018, the Department of Local Government transferred R2m (€132 206) to the Eden Municipality for the safe removal of asbestos.
- The national Department of Environmental Affairs launched a hydro-seeding project, which seeded 90 hectares of land and created 45 jobs.
- An alien removal project, funded by private and public funds, was initiated to create firebreaks and thereby reduce future fire risk.
The Department of Economic Development and Tourism.
- In the wake of the fires, businesses and tourism suffered which had an impact on jobs. The skills development work stream, led by DEDAT prioritised four areas: tourism, construction, business support and environment.
- 30 people completed a hospitality course. A coding course, offered by the University of the Western Cape (UWC), was also made available.
- Currently providing support in developing a comprehensive tourism strategy.
