The provincial and local government department is awaiting reports from disaster management centres before it intervenes in provinces ravaged by recent veld fires.
Spokesperson Zandi Ratshitanga on Wednesday said the department was waiting for reports on the extent of damage before deciding whether to declare certain parts of the country disaster zones.
Working on Fire on Wednesday said most of the fires had been brought under control and 19 air crews were on standby in Mpumalanga to respond to any fire threats.
Spokesperson Val Charlton said 11 fires had been contained in Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo.
Raging veld fires have destroyed more than 70 000 hectares of land in the affected provinces. Seventeen people were reported to have been killed in Mpumalanga and 13 people were killed in KwaZulu-Natal.
Zululand District Municipality spokesperson Chris Sosibo said the affected municipalities were Nongoma, Pongola and Paulpietersburg (eDumbe), and parts of Vryheid.
Many homesteads had burnt down, leaving thousands homeless.
Farmers were among the hardest hit with livestock, crops and timber plantations succumbing to the fires. - Sapa