A wildfire that broke out earlier this month not only destroyed about 2 386 ha of vegetation, but also gutted several Somerset West homes and swept through the Helderberg Nature Reserve. Following a full assessment by the City of Cape Town’s biodiversity management team after the incident on Wednesday (8 June), the decision was made to reopen the reserve to the public on Monday 1 August. No hiking is possible due to extensively damaged footpaths that have been declared dangerous by reserve management. Pictured are deputy mayor and Mayoral Committee member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Eddie Andrews, with Ward 84 councillor Norman McFarlane (left) and Roy Ernstzen, the City’s head of nature conservation for the East Region, during a recent on-site meeting to discuss the impact of the fire.


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