Veldt Fires Spread

MARANYANE NGWANAAMOTHO
Staff Writer | Monday November 1, 2010 00:00

 

She says that is because of lack of rain and winds. 'The grass is still dry and winds are also driving the fire, so it is difficult to fight it,' she says.

'It has been a very long time and people who have been out there are now complaining of fatigue,' she says. 

She says that they have not received reports of accidents except for cattle that burnt in Kgatleng District. 'Apart from the men who died in the Kgalagadi district early this month, there have been no reports of people getting injured while fighting at the site.  However, there have been reports of lots of cattle that burnt in Kgatleng,' she says. 

She did not have the latest information about how many animals were affected at the time of going to press.

The Ministry of Environment believes that this year will have more veldt fires than ever before.

The fires are mostly in the Kgalagadi and the Central District where there is a lot of dry grass.

The grass lies unutilised because there are not enough ruminants to feed on it.