Meeting to tackle fire probe stand-off
THE STAND-OFF between forensic expert David Klatzow and the Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) may be resolved at a high-level meeting with the city and SANParks today.
Klatzow has been appointed by the city to investigate the recent South Peninsula wildfires but says he has been told he can’t go onto parks property without a permit.
Executive director for safety and security Richard Bosman said they had informed TMNP fire manager Philip Prins, in an e-mail on March 10, that Klatzow had been appointed.
But TMNP manager Paddy Gordon said there were conflicting reports about what Klatzow had been appointed for.
“For example, Klatzow demanded access to the helicopter crash site, even before the Civil Aviation investigation was completed. And yet he says that he wants to help identify the origin of the fire.”
He added that the fire records and data at their Newlands fire base were legal data that he did not have the power to release it to anyone.
Gordon also pointed out that the park had appointed fire expert Rob Erasmus from Enviro Wildfire Services several months ago on contract to investigate the many wildfires that occur in the park.
He said Erasmus had more than a decade of experience in fynbos fires.
“What would have been the correct procedure is that the city should have approached SANParks corporate informing them of the appointment of Dr Klatzow, providing both the letter of his engagement and the terms of reference for what he is investigating; as well as request to work with our investigator and make records available.”
Gordon said this may still happen and would be discussed at today’s high-level meeting.
“SANParks desires to get to the truth behind the origin of the fires and will do what is legally required to achieve this. However, the engagement of another entity without legal foundation could lead to confusion in the complex legal challenges that will follow after the fire.”
Meanwhile, Bosman said they had not given Klatzow a specific time frame to conduct his investigation but had asked for it to be dealt with as speedily as possible.
The cost to the city could not be determined at this stage. “It will depend on billable hours as well as whether any additional tests are required.”
In 2009, Klatzow was hired by then mayor Helen Zille at a cost of R350 000 to the city to identify what caused a series of fires in TMNP and the Helderberg. He found that some of the fires had been started accidentally but that there had been human intervention in others including youngsters smoking a hookah (hubbly bubbly) pipe at Jonkershoek and a group of children chasing ants out of a log in Welcome Glen Valley above Glencairn.
He also found that a fire on Devil’s Peak, which killed two homeless people, was “almost certainly” started deliberately.
The city said its investigation would seek to determine the point of origin and how the fire started, whether there was malicious intent or negligence, and whether anyone could be held accountable.
The city was still assessing the financial impact of the fire.