A total of 28 people died and hundreds of homes were destroyed by a series of forest fires which have swept through parts of South Africa and Swaziland since the end of last month, officials have said.
"Over 50,000 hectares of commercial plantations (and a further 18,000 in Swaziland) and over 200,000 hectares of grazing land have been extensively damaged"' by the rampaging fires, a statement said.
Thousands of jobs have been lost while loss of foreign revenue has also been recorded. The fire raged in the rural parts of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province and neighbouring Mpumalanga, Free State, Eastern Cape, Limpopo and Gauteng, which includes Johannesburg and Pretoria.
"These are the worst fires in the history of our country," the statement said.
A statement from KZN's provincial government said thousands of pigs, sheep, cows and goats were either burnt alive or had to be put down.
Heavy winds fanned the flames after an exceptionally dry winter in the north.
"We still do not know the actual cause of the fire but we suspect it might be due to the very dry weather conditions in the affected areas," said Mtholephi Mthimkhulu of KZN's agriculture and environmental affairs department.
AfricAsia
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August 13, 2007
Fires damage crops, kill livestock in South Africa
Categories South Africa
