PARKS DEPARTMENT'S DANGEROUS GAME - PLAYING WITH FIRE IN CAPE TOWN

Dear Capetonians,

Philip Prins

            As fires are a regular occurrence all round Cape Town every year you would think that the Table Mountain National Park’s (TMNP) experts would know how to deal with them by now.

          When this one started in the early hours of Sunday 12 February their advice ensured that not only were people and homes needlessly endangered, but a huge amount of money was spent unnecessarily on fire fighting helicopters. 

            Arsonists evidently started it, but the way it was dealt with you would be excused if you thought it was one of TMNP’s “prescribed burns” that it does from time to time as part of its ecological management.  

            It involved the Noordhoek wetlands, an uninhabited flat, sandy area of 100 hectares or more next to the sea not far from Cape Point. This is covered in indigenous fynbos and other highly combustible vegetation.

            On the side opposite the sea, below a nearby mountain is the Wildervoel vlei, an expanse of water that varies from several hundred meters wide to a stone’s throw across as it meanders down to the sea. While it used to be dry at this time of year in the Cape’s rainless summers, this no longer happens as it is fed continuously with treated effluent from the nearby sewage works.

Fire approaching built up area

            On the mountain side of the vlei going up to Kommetjie Road there are various up-market housing developments at the one end and at the other there is a light industrial zone following by the heavily populated black township of Masiphumelele with its numerous shack settlements and low cost housing.

             It was no place to be playing with fire.

            The wetlands are controlled by TMNP a division of South African National Parks (SANParks) and the built up areas come under the jurisdiction of the Cape Town City Council. 

          So it would seem that the City had no option other than to go along with the decision of the TMNP boffins to just let it burn.

          Day and night it blazed away with the authorities apparently unaware that people living in the area were scared to death, having sleepless nights with their windows glowing red. Many of them would have seen it creeping along the edge of the water and heard the ominous crackle when it got among the thick reeds beds along the vlei’s edge as it jumped the water to the side where everybody lives.

            I live a couple of streets above the vlei in the Imhoff’s Gift estate so I had a grandstand view of the fire from our upstairs bedroom as it flared up in numerous different places.  

Inside our upstairs bedroom even though we were quite
a distance from the fires.

            With a near hurricane blowing it could have gone anywhere while the master minds of this fiasco were no doubt sleeping peacefully nowhere near a fire.

            In an email Philip Prins TMNP’s Fire Manager explained the bizarre thinking behind what was very nearly a serious disaster. “After consulting with Park Management, ecologists and the City of Cape Town it was decided to allow the fire to slowly back burn into the wind. No threat to lives or property was established at the time and SANParks and Cape Town officials monitored it to ensure it did not threaten any lives or homes.”

            It seems that Prins was very ill informed because that’s exactly what it did do.

            On the night of Day 3 Tuesday 14 February it really got going among the reeds in front of Imhoff’s Gift estate. Franko Maritz and his family could see the flames frighteningly close to their waterside home on the one edge of the estate next to the industrial park. At 8 pm they called the City Fire Department only to be told they didn’t have the resources to deal with it but were monitoring the fire. Four agonising hours later a fire engine arrived just in time to put out what was burning just 50 meters or so in front of their property.

Burnt out reeds close to the Maritz home

Tinder-dry grass and reeds in front of the homes

            It was a very close call because if the fire had gone any further it would have been into the very dry grass and other reeds that are in front of all the properties along the side of the water. At the other end of the estate it was just as scary.

           Prins went on to say: “On Wednesday 15^th the wind switched direction and unfortunately due to a temperature inversion the smoke was trapped until it lifted by midday. The helicopters were called in immediately to prevent the fire from reaching the urban boundary near Imhoff’s Gift.”

            This had already happened more than 12 hours before but the helicopters couldn’t take off in the dark or fly through the smoke. However the fire had by no means been put out by the end of that day.

            That’s what happens when you play with fire.

            He added that “around Imhoff there was a very dense thicket of vegetation on very soft sand which makes it extremely difficult for wildfire fighters to access the area with their equipment and remain safe, making fire fighting extremely dangerous in this area.”

            That was another very good reason why his department should not have been playing with fire there.

            On Thurs 16 February a helicopter continued to water bomb the area, but by this time it had 20 or 30 separate fires spread over a wide area to put out. And inexplicably instead of taking water from the vlei it flew several kilometres a time to fetch it from the sea.

            At something like R30 000 an hour this just put up the helicopter costs considerable.

            When I asked Prins why sea water was used as I always thought this was bad for the soil he gave me this very strange answer: “TMNP is very aware of the water crisis in Cape Town and is trying to minimise the use of any municipal water to fight fires, as a result the helicopters were requested to use sea water rather than any fresh water sources which could deplete water reserves.”

First day of helicopter bombing

Fires were still going strong after the helicopter's first day
in the air

            Since when do you have “fresh” water in a vlei fed by treated effluent that often becomes very toxic because of the algae that grows in it? If anybody should have known this it should have been Philip Prins the Parks Department’s fire chief.

            In the past helicopters have often taken water from it to put out fires, so it was odd to say the least that this was not done on this occasion.

          At a rough estimate the helicopter costs were R300 000. This would have been a lot less if one had been used on the Sunday when the fire first started and would have been so much easier to put out.

          One has to face the fact that this was an irresponsible bungle that could so easily have resulted in the loss of lives and homes.

If cigarette manufacturers have to give this warning
shouldn't the Parks Department have to give a similar one

          As the advertisement for Nandos flame grilled peri-peri chicken restaurants tells us: “25 years and still playing with fire.”It might be fine for Nando’s but the Parks Department showed on the Noordhoek wetlands that it is not a game it should be playing.  

It’s just too dangerous.

Regards,

Jon, who wonders if the Park’s experts realise that it’s not only the flames themselves that can affect people lives but the smoke as well, not to mention the powdery ash that is blown about afterwards.

This could be what Cape Town's like soon if arsonists
       and the Parks Department go on playing with fire

P.S. Undeterred the Park has just announced it plans to play with fire once again near Cape Point; at Black Hill from Sun Valley to Glencairn; on Roodeberg in the Capri Village area; off Orphen Road, Tokai and at Constantia Nek by starting its own “controlled burns” in March and April. But don’t worry these will be “supervised strictly by TMNP” – like the one in the Noordhoek wetlands presumably.

IS THE CITY OF CAPE TOWN PROMOTING DRUG PEDDLING ON A MAIN TOURIST ROUTE?

Dear Tourists,

City's roadside sign
with a Rasta flag
next to it.

          As you probably know Cape Town is a must see on any visit to Africa. World Travel Awards listed it as the Best Destination on the continent.

          But what has not been at all well publicised is possibly the City’s best kept secret – the spot the Rastafarian competition. And once you’ve spotted him (there could be several of them) the final part of the test is to guess what he’s up to.

          There’s a substantial prize for the winner, but for some obscure reason I can’t get the City to reveal what it is.

          It would be most unfair if what I have just told you was all you had to go on. In fact it would make the whole exercise virtually impossible. That’s bureaucracy for you.

          So I’ve decided to help at the risk of being accused of being a spoil sport by the City.

          I have just spent months trying to crack the mystery which even has the City’s own Law Enforcement officers baffled.

          This is how my investigation went.

Day 1 (20/3/2015)

I initially thought this was a National Parks (SANparks) problem as the secretive man I had seen was in the bushes on the M65 which is one of the main tourist routes to Cape Point. Where he was between Kommetjie and Scarborough is rocky mountainside that melts into fynbos covered areas that run down to Witsands, a popular surfing beach. A Landrover stopped at the side of the road and this man wearing a Rastafarian coloured beanie came out of the bushes and handed the person in the vehicle something. The transaction only took a few seconds before the Landrover was on its way again.

In the distance on the right is where the boat slipway is and this sign is
next to the road where the Rastas are in the bushes

        In an email to Gavin Bell, the SANparks manager for the area I asked: “Surely you are not allowed to trade in a national park and the real question is, ‘What is this man up to?’ He has been there for years and if you are not allowed to trade in the park why has he been allowed to do what he does, whatever that is, for so many years. One thing is certain he is not there to admire the view.”  Bell replied saying that the place where this man was “operating” was on City Council property.

Day 2 (26/3/2015)

My complaint was subsequently passed to Richard Holdstock the Council’s Area Co-ordinator, Business Areas Management by Alderman Felicity Purchase the Councillor for the area to “follow up with this illegal trader at the Witsands/Slangkop turn off.”

Day 3 (10/4/2015)

Holdstock stated: “Law Enforcement and I were out at the site this week (twice) and found no activity on both days. However we are aware that illegal trading does happen here. It really is a hit and miss approach, but we will check the weekend and deal with any illegal trading in the area.”

A Rasta in the bushes next to his very large flag with a passing
 car in the background

Day 4 (23/4/2015)

I emailed Holdstock saying: “They are there now mid-day Thursday. They fly a little flag at the side of the road to indicate where they are in the bushes and what I assume is their car is a white one parked near the cross roads.” He copied me an email he sent to some official called Steven Titus in which he said: “Can this be checked again. Complainant says they are there now.”

Day 5 (27/4/2015)

My email to Holdstock said: “They were there again about 12.15 pm yesterday.” I gave him the registration number of the car that appeared to belong to them.

Day 6 (28/4/2015)

I told Holdstock they were there at 10.00 am and their flag with the Rastafarian colours was flying next to the road.

Day 7 (7/5/2015)

“It seems odd that your guys can never find these people because every time I have been past there lately they are there,” I told Holdstock.

The Rasta, who I think is the main one, in the bushes just off the road.
He sometimes can be seen here sitting in a folding chair under an umbrella to
protect himself from the sun when it's hot

Day 8 (8/5/2015)

Holdstock sent an email to Steven Titus and Kenneth Jonathan, who I assumed were in Law Enforcement, asking them to check the place that weekend and take “positive action” if anybody was there. He copied this to me.

Day 9 (11/5/2015)

Holdstock referred me to an email he had received from Jonathan who stated that the area had been visited several times and no trading was taking place when they were there. He added that there had been a fire there recently making any “dubious activities clearly visible” so the Police (they are separate from the Council’s Law Enforcement department) would have been able to spot them.

I pointed out that they were not in the area that was burnt but in the bushes next to it and added: “If Law Enforcement can’t find them it’s best to call in the Keystone Kops because they would do a much better job. As I have already said they fly a flag to show where they are in the bushes and they are there very often. So much so that when I went there almost every day this week they were there.”

Looking for the Rastas

   I ended my email with this P.S. “For those who don’t know the Keystone Kops were fictional, incompetent policemen featured in silent film era comedies.”

Day 10 (12/8/2015)

I sent an email to Holdstock with a photograph attached of the Rastafarian’s flag, which was much larger than usual, saying: “This marks the place where he is hiding in the bushes and I don’t think he is selling flags. Hopefully this flag is big enough for Law Enforcement to see.

          “The public are supposed to be encouraged to report things that don’t appear legal, but it’s not much good if the cops say they can’t see the obvious.”

Our emails then went like this:

Holdstock - I saw the flag myself last week. Law Enforcement have been notified. Thank you for your observations, they are appreciated.

Me - Richard presumably you don’t have the power to tell Law Enforcement to actually do something.

Holdstock - It’s just a question of when they will get there, but they will go.

Day 11 (21/8/2015)

My email to him: “Surely you must agree this is absolutely ridiculous. I have been on about this for weeks (apart from the fact that this has been going on for years) and you now tell me that it’s just a question of “when” Law Enforcement will get there. Lucky it’s not a murder in progress. You saw the flag yourself and today there were two flags about 100m apart and the car was there with what looked like one hanging out of the window.

          “As I’ve said before if we had a survey that asked people why they thought the cops won’t go there I’m sure there would only be one answer. And that’s the kind of thing that is bringing this country to its knees.”

A shady character

          The same day Holdstock emailed Shaun Graham Smith, Assistant Chief, Law Enforcement with this request: “Please can your team deal with this complaint, it seems to be going on for far too long and the complainant is getting frustrated.”

Smith replied: “We will check the area again. The SAPS (South African Police Service) Ocean View (this station is five minutes drive from where the Rastafarians are and it is open countryside between the station and them), but have found no illegal substances in the vicinity or on these persons to date even when SAPS used sniffer dogs no evidence of drugs were found.

          “Law Enforcement will deal with any By Law infringement being committed on the site, but the ongoing suspicion of drug dealing must be reported by the complainant to SAPS (This was the first time since I first complained five months earlier that I was told that I was complaining to the wrong law enforcement agency) whom has the Legal mandated competency to investigate crime.”

Day 12 (27/8/2015)

Holdstock asks Smith: “Can I confirm that your team dealt with this, as I had a Rasta requesting a permit for that site. Can I respond to the complainant?”

Day 13 (28/8/2015)

Smith to Holdstock, which was copied to me: “We are doing regular checks on the trader. To date we have found nothing at the site not even goods he’s trading in. The only item on the site is a flag. What commodity is he applying for permit to sell?  The area he stands is a prohibited trading area. You need to find him an alternative spot with legal trading sites.”

Day 14 (1/9/2015)

Here’s the email conversation on that day:

Holdstock - Law Enforcement will continue to enforce illegal trading when and where it happens, but it seems that it is not happening here. The Rasta came to apply for a trading site for that particular area and my office refused his application based on the fact that the area is a ‘prohibited area’ for informal trading. This is why I know Law Enforcement has been hassling him, as the only time they approach us is when they do. We will keep him hot.”

Me - It’s painfully obvious that he is not just sitting in the bushes. Can you tell me who he is?

Holdstock - He was trying to trade at Witsands in African art. Staff cannot recall his name as it was not necessary to complete an application due to the area being prohibited.

Day 15 (2/9/2015)

Me to Holdstock: “I was at Witsands to day and there were two policemen (SAPS) in a police vehicle parked near the slipway. I went over to them and asked the driver what the Rastafarian did in the bushes. He immediately said: ‘He sells dagga (also known as cannabis, the use of which is illegal in South Africa)). He has been caught several times, but he won’t listen and keeps coming back.’

          “It seems he is well known to at least one section of the police. Perhaps the other section has its own reasons for making out they can’t find him.”

 

Sunday Times headline

          So the Rastafarian and his fellow Rastas will carry on doing what they have been doing for years – running rings round the Keystone Kops selling dagga beneath a City of Cape Town roadside sign on a very well known tourist route to Cape Point.

          This is in spite of the fact that Cape Town is fast gaining the reputation as the drug capital of South Africa and this is the cause of numerous gang killings.

            Don’t be surprised if travel agents start promoting “Dagga Tours to the Scenic Cape. Rasta’s specially catered for. Don’t worry if it’s illegal. We’ve got that covered.”

          Regards,

          Jon, who smells something extremely fishy here and it’s not the ramp where the boats are launched.

P.S. I don’t know if you have noticed but by some quirky behaviour on behalf of my computer the Days 1, 2, 3 etc in this post have ended up in the colours of the Rasta flag – and in the same order as on the flag what’s more, although possibly when the cannabis has got the better of them the colour order changes.