News24 | KZN on high alert amid high risk of veld fires

The South African Weather Service has warned of a high chance of fires in parts of KwaZulu-Natal.

• A warning for veld fires has been released for KwaZulu-Natal.
• Authorities say disaster management teams will remain on high alert.
• KwaZulu-Natal Cogta MEC Thulasizwe Buthelezi urged residents to exercise extreme caution.

KwaZulu-Natal disaster management teams are on high alert after the South African Weather Service (SAWS) warned of a high risk of veld fires in the northern parts of the province on Monday and Tuesday.

This is due to an extremely high Fire Danger Index (FDI) value, which exceeds 75.

As a result, KwaZulu-Natal Cogta MEC Thulasizwe Buthelezi urged residents to exercise extreme caution.

“Last year’s veld fires caused millions of rands in damage to crops, infrastructure, and livestock, and tragically led to the loss of life,” the MEC said.

Buthelezi added that disaster management teams were instructred to coordinate closely with local municipalities to ensure a swift response to emergencies.

“The Provincial Disaster Management Centre is closely monitoring high-risk areas and is coordinating with local teams to ensure readiness. Residents are encouraged to stay informed through official channels and to report any signs of fire promptly to their local disaster management centres,” Buthelezi said.

He added:

Dry, warm, and windy conditions, with gusts exceeding 40 km/h and low humidity, are ideal for the rapid ignition and spread of fires.

Among the municipalities at high risk are Abaqulusi, Ulundi, Nongoma, uPhongolo, uMhlathuze, uMlalazi, Nkandla, Mthonjaneni, Big Five Hlabisa, Mtubatuba, Jozini, Umhlabuyalingana and Maphumulo.

The SAWS has also released warnings for other parts of the country.

A yellow level 1 warning for damaging waves is in place between Saldanha Bay and Cape Agulhas on Monday, with a likelihood of spreading to Alexander Bay and Plettenberg Bay from Tuesday morning.

A yellow level 1 warning for damaging interior winds is in place over the central parts of the Northern Cape and the Central Karoo in the Western Cape. The SAWS said the weather conditions could result in damage to informal settlements, runaway fires, and problems for high-sided vehicles on prone routes.

In the SAWS’ colour-coded weather warning system, yellow indicates a moderate risk of impact that requires caution and awareness, while orange indicates that higher-risk impact is expected, requiring increased attention and preparation.

SAWS uses the numbers to indicate the likelihood of weather-based impacts occurring. Levels 2 and 6 are high, and Level 4 is low.

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In addition, the SAWS said extremely high fire danger conditions were expected in places over the Central Karoo district in the Western Cape, as well as the !Khe and Siyathemba local municipalities in the Northern Cape.

The Eastern Cape municipalities of Dr Beyers Naude, Blue Crane, Raymond Mhlaba, Amahlathi, Intsika Yethu, Great Kei and Mnquma could also be affected.