Cape Town – Police are investigating allegations that the runaway wildfires, which have been raging in the Cape, were started by members of the ANC.
This after a voice clip, which has gone viral on social media, blamed people wearing ANC T-shirts for lighting fires in Paarl, Du Toits Kloof and Stellenbosch this week.
Earlier this week, the City of Cape Town said the recent spate of fires around the City and in the Boland were suspicious and the cause of the fires were being investigated.
It is costing the City millions of rands and manpower to fight the blazes.
On Thursday, a voice clip emerged in which a man, speaking in Afrikaans, alleges arsonists on foot and wearing ANC T-shirts were responsible for the fires in Stellenbosch.
He says: “We have just been informed that these fires on our farms were started by people, and it has just been confirmed by people [officials] flying in helicopters that they’ve spotted these arsonists.
“There have been reports that the arsonists were wearing ANC shirts."
“This is probably some kind of protest against the DA in the Western Cape, but we all know that there’s usually a bigger issue behind these things.”
A man from Langebaan, Alex Ferreira, has been blamed for recording the clip, as he had originally posted it on a WhatsApp group in the Stellenbosch area.
Ferreira on Thursday told Daily Voice the matter has been “clarified”.
“I have agreed to work with the ANC and the police and get those responsible [for posting the audio clip],” he says.
The Minister for Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, Anton Bredell, says any suspicious activity must be reported to the police.
“At the moment our focus is on putting out the fires still burning, however, we fully intend to investigate the causes of the fires as soon as we can.”
But Thandi Makasi, the ANC Provincial Deputy Secretary, denied the allegations and blamed the blazes on local government, saying Premier Helen Zille and her team were “unprepared” for the Cape’s annual fire season.
This after Zille went on Twitter, questioning whether the fires were “accidental or coincidental”.
Makasi said on Thursday: “What is more important for Helen Zille and her team is to accept that they are sleeping at the wheel and every year they are found to have failed to adequately prepare for this season.
“Our people are not safe with the DA in charge and with each year, this is becoming more evident.”
Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Andrè Traut says they have noted with concern the arson allegations on social media.
“The reports allege that persons in branded clothing / paraphernalia were seen starting the fires in these areas. We have assigned an experienced detective to investigate these claims,” he says.
“We would like to sensitise members of the public that arson remains a serious offence that is punishable by law,” adds Traut.
* Anyone with information regarding the start of the fires should contact their nearest police station or call Crime Stop on 08600 10111.