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National Veld and Forest Fire Working Group launched
The launch of the 2016 winter fire season and the National Veld and Forest Fire Working Group (NVFFWG)
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he 2016 winter fire season and the National Veld and Forest Fire Working Group (NVFFWG) was launched by Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) minister, Senzeni Zokwana, at an event held at Birchwood Hotel on 13 May 2016. Chairing the meeting was Mortimer Mannya, acting director-general DAFF with a number of dignitaries in attendance. Dr Mmaphaka Tau, deputy director-general: Forestry and Natural Resources Management at DAFF, set the scene saying that the Constitution is the supreme law of the land and that there is no other law above it. “Chapter 2 of the Constitution contains the Bill of Rights, which is the cornerstone of democracy in South Africa. The state must respect, protect, promote and fulfil the rights in the Bill of rights.” He added that veld fire risk management is a shared responsibility to be fostered through partnership between various stakeholders and cooperative relationships between different spheres of government, the private sector and civil society hence the constitution. General Bheki Cele, deputy minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, introduced Senzeni Zokwana, minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, saying that the meeting will outline DAFF’s vision on fire management. In his keynote address, Minister Zokwana said, “The National Veld and Forest Fire Act (NVFFA), 1998 supports the implementation of integrated fire management as a methodology to reduce damaging wildfires and encourage improved land management techniques, including that of using fire as a beneficial land management tool. This legislation places a duty to care and the responsibility to manage fires upon all landowners, both public and private, on whose land a veld fire may start or spread. Accordingly, together with interested stakeholders, my department has established a National Veld and Forest Fire Working Group to strengthen our mandate with regard to the implementation of this legislation and the Integrated National Forest Protection Strategy.” 14 | FIRE AND RESCUE INTERNATIONAL
General Bheki Cele, Minister Senzeni Zokwana and Dr Mmaphaka Tau The minister referred to Chapter 2 of the National Veld and Forest Fire Act (1998), which makes provision for the formation of fire protection associations (FPAs) in high fire risk areas of the country. “FPAs are community-based voluntary organisations that are formed to prevent, fight and manage veld fires. They subscribe to the principle of freedom of association. That means landowners are not compelled to be members of the FPAs but have a legislative obligation to prevent the start and spread of fires in their land. The success of these FPA institutions has been hampered by insufficient financial support, which we are currently addressing in terms of section 7 of this Act. FPAs are also having challenges of failure to comply with the provisions of this legislation by the landowners, including government departments and municipalities. Failure by government departments and municipalities to join FPAs is a major concern to me and must be addressed through engagement.” The minister warned that the current drought in South Africa has increased the risk of disaster wildfires and urged stakeholders to ensure that: • Awareness campaigns aimed at encouraging landowners to join fire protection associations are undertaken • Firebreaks are in place • Fire fighting equipment such as radios, skid units have been checked, serviced properly and are ready • Memorandums of understanding between fire protection associations are in place • Update all contacts of key people within all fire management units • Agreements with other fire fighting agencies like Working on Fire are in place Volume 4 | No 1