Still no report on Thornhill fires

LAST week Thursday and Friday (May 10-11) marked 11 months since the deaths of my mother and father during the Thornhill fires of June 2017.

Eleven months and still no official fire report of the events of that day.

I speak under correction, but the Knysna fire report was released around six weeks after that devastating event.

In the last 11 months, the Kouga Disaster Management Team has made one appearance at my parents’ farm. It was the only time we ever saw or heard of them.

I find it extremely hard to believe no-one is being held responsible for the deaths of my parents or the destruction of so many people’s property.

If my father had lit this fire and people had died and property had been destroyed, would he not have been held liable?

Why is this not being applied to those who are responsible for this fire?

It seems a terrible thing to say, but I will say it anyway: had they been more “connected” or perhaps more affluent, would there have been a different outcome to this story?

The DA-led municipality of the Kouga district has shown no interest in this at all.

It looked really wonderful to have the area declared a disaster zone on June 12 last year, but what happened the day after? Absolutely nothing! Perhaps this will remind those who have a job to do relating to this fire that we have not forgotten, nor will we ever be able to forget.