Several wildfires are still burning in South Africa’s Western and Eastern Cape provinces, with over 100,000 hectares of land scorched in the Western Cape and ongoing evacuations, officials reported. The fires have impacted the entire Western Cape Province and parts of the neighboring Eastern Cape, with no reported fatalities yet, although a young girl was hospitalized in Mossel Bay and some firefighters treated for smoke inhalation. Western Cape Premier Alan Winde mentioned that an unprecedented number of helicopters, including a military one, have been deployed to combat the blazes, with significant damage to infrastructure in areas like Mossel Bay, Du Noon in Cape Town, and Pearly Beach.
The Mossel Bay Municipality stated that although there were no active fires in the area, all teams would remain vigilant due to dry and windy conditions. In the Overstrand Municipality, where Pearly Beach is situated, evacuation notices were issued as firefighting resources were strained, with two active fires in the vicinity. The priority emphasized by Overstrand Municipal Manager Dean O’Neill is to safeguard lives, prompting the evacuation of residents from Eluxolweni and Broadway Street in Pearly Beach to the community hall.
In the Eastern Cape Province, the Kouga Municipality reported that fire crews were still contending with multiple blazes, highlighting the volatile conditions. Eastern Cape Premier Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane expressed deep concern over the wildfires affecting the province, particularly during the peak summer tourism season and impacting key tourist destinations. Mabuyane urged residents, visitors, and road users in affected areas to exercise extreme caution and adhere strictly to directives and evacuation instructions issued by disaster management officials, fire and emergency services, and law enforcement agencies in the fire hotspots across the province.
