Table Mountain may have been malicious act, investigation finds
An independent investigation into April’s deadly fire on Table Mountain in Cape Town could have been the result of a malicious act.
The probe into the cause of the blaze was conducted by Enviro Wildfire Services on behalf of SANParks.
It found that the blaze was intentionally started.
The fire ravaged several buildings, including the Jagger library at the University of Cape Town, and led to the evacuation of students from residences on campus.
The blaze also caused extensive damage to Rhodes Memorial restaurant and the historic Mostert Mill.
SANParks says the probe found that the fire did not start naturally or accidentally.
"An independent fire report on the wildfire that burned about 600 hectares of land within the Table Mountain National Park and some neighbouring properties on Sunday, 18 April, ruled out natural causes such as rock falls or lightning strikes or an accidental/negligent incident such as an abandoned camping/cooking fire as possible causes of the fire,” says SANParks acting CEO Luthando Dziba.
"The latter, therefore, confirms the fact that the fire was not started by homeless persons as was initially alleged.”
Dziba says the various potential causes of the fire were thoroughly assessed.
“The investigation report provides compelling evidence suggesting that the fire may have been started as a malicious act. This evidence is currently being investigated by law enforcement agencies.”
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