Suspect appears in court for fires on Paarl Mountain

After fire fighting teams fought a raging fire on the Paarl Mountain over the weekend of November 30 and December 1, a suspect has now been arrested and charged for illegally making a fire on the mountain.

According to the Drakenstein Municipality in a statement, their Law Enforcement unit together with the South African Police Service arrested the 42-year-old man on Sunday December 1, and the suspect appeared in court on Tuesday December 3.

The municipality says his arrest followed after the municipality’s Law Enforcement division obtained information on what allegedly caused the fire.

Dereck Peceur, the Head of Fire and Rescue Operations and Training at the municipality said: “Our Law Enforcement division immediately informed SAPS who followed up on all the leads and was able to arrest the suspect on Sunday afternoon. Drakenstein Municipality is giving our full support to the police in the investigation,”

The suspect has now been charged with breaking the law according to the Veld and Forestry Fire Act and his next court appearance in the Paarl Magistrate Court will be on Tuesday December 10.

“The man was arrested for illegally making a fire on Paarl Mountain which caused damage to the area’s fauna and flora.The fire raged from around midday on Saturday November 30, and at one stage, firefighting crews and vehicles of no less than five municipalities were involved in battling the blaze.

“Drakenstein Municipality’s Fire and Rescue Services were assisted by the Cape Winelands District Municipality, Swartland Municipality, Stellenbosch Municipality, and City of Cape Town, as well as aerial support,” said the municipality’s statement.

The fire was finally brought under control on Sunday morning.

The suspect remains in custody until his next court appearance next week.