IT’S free season for destructive fires in Eswatini this year. Fires have burnt down everything from the Queen Mother’s Royal residence to shopping malls, supermarkets, residential homes, feed for livestock down to expensive critical technology infrastructure.
In some instances, fire has destroyed property while firemen helplessly looked on.
Fires in 2024 were the worst in history. During winter, everywhere you looked, the land lay in charted black surfaces. Brown acrid smog floated in the air atmosphere, replacing what would have been fresh dawn air.
Even past the winter season, the fires have been unforgiving. At the end of September, the fires announced their continued presence – crawling leisurely up the valley, in broad daylight, snapping up the still dry grass a blade at a time. Unnoticed, it climbed the main conference hut at the Luvinjelweni Chief’s Kraal overlooking the Maguga Dam and razed it and an adjoining hut. People who were attending a meeting in the hut leapt out at the nick of time as the roof collapsed moments later.
By the end of August 2024, the Ministry of Housing statistics show that fires had already destroyed E2 billion worth of property and infrastructure equivalent to almost 33% of the government budget for capital expenditure for 2024/25.
Infrastructure destroyed included the electricity transmission equipment, fibre optic cables and switches – the fire even burning pipes bringing water to residences. The scale of the fires and growing number of fire incidents is alarmingly unprecedented.
The numbers say it all
Data from the ministry of housing shows that there were 404 incidents. That number had more than doubled to 813 incidents in 2023. Up to July 2024, there were already 866 incidents, with one person dying from the fires.
“Government acknowledges the unprecedented scale of veld fires this year, which have caused extensive damage to property, infrastructure, and the environment,” admitted minister of housing Appolo Maphalala. “However, it is important to note that not the entire country was engulfed in wildfires. The south-western parts of the country were most affected due to a combination of factors, including the impacts of climate change, last summer’s rains creating overgrowth, a dry winter spell, and wind gusts that propelled the fires.”
A prominent problem highlighted by the 2024 fires is the serious lack of capacity to respond to fires. This, among others, is reflected in malfunctioning equipment. A fire engine sent to respond to a fire that scorched the upper floors of the Bhunu Mall in Manzini reportedly malfunctioned onsite. Eye witnesses said the fire had to be put out by police water canons.
At this stage the fire problems appear to overwhelm available capacity compelling government to seek international help. They have approached Belarus for training and equipment. The minister said the two countries are expected to sign agreements outlining areas of collaboration for capacity building and training of the Eswatini Fire Department.
jm/today/8.10.2024
