[imagesource: Anthony Molyneaux]

It’s been less than a month since a blaze, believed to have started above Philip Kgosana Drive and Hospital Bend, caused untold damage to UCT and threatened the homes of residents living in Vredehoek, Devil’s Peak, and other areas.

Even now, it remains a jarring sight to drive along Philip Kgosana Drive and see the charred mountainside and damage, which would have been so much worse had it not been for the heroic efforts of firefighters from a number of organisations.

As the dust settled, SANParks was criticised for improper fire management and ignoring warning signs, and conversation resumed around the city’s homeless population starting fires on the mountain slopes.

At the very least, everyone can agree that a plan needs to be formulated to ensure that these blazes are less frequent, and less damaging, which is one of the main talking point of News24’s new doccie, Cape of Flames.

Released earlier this morning, the doccie “looks back on the events as it unfolded and asks whether the preservation of the Stone Pines on the slopes of Table Mountain can be justified.”

If you want to understand the various factors in play, the doccie offers a good overview:

[source:news24]