Man (38) appears in court for Cape Town fires Updated
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A 38-year-old man accused of starting the devastating Cape Town fires appeared in court on Tuesday morning.
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Frederick Mhangazo is believed to be from Tanzania and was arrested on Monday.
Spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in the Western Cape, Eric Ntabazalila says Mhangazo is facing a charge of arson. His case has been postponed to 28 April.”
Additional reporting by Victoria O’Regan
Efforts to contain the out-of-control wildfire that erupted on Table Mountain on Sunday morning at around 8.45 continued throughout the night.
The unforgiving inferno – suspected by the Table Mountain National Park to have been ignited by an unattended vagrant fire – burnt down a restaurant at Rhodes Memorial and damaged multiple buildings at the University of Cape Town (UCT) campus, including the library.
Efforts continue to contain a vegetation fire in the mountain above UCT.
The City of Cape Town is engaging in active firefighting efforts along with TMNP and the Volunteer Wildfire Service.
At this stage, UCT has initiated an evacuation of student residences. #CTNewspic.twitter.com/3qtF6CqcXS
Gallo Images/Brenton Geach
Mayor Dan Plato,
University of Cape Town (UCT) Vice-Chancellor Mamokgethi Phakeng, and Local Government and Environmental Affairs MEC Anton Bredell conducted a site visit at UCT to assess the damage caused by a runaway mountain fire.
Table Mountain National Park says it hopes to extinguish the fire by the end of the week
The City’s Air Quality Monitoring Unit said it has recorded very high levels of particulate at the Foreshore Monitoring Station.
Fire Fighters in Cape Town remain on high alert on Monday evening as fears of possible flare-ups of the devastating wildfire grow.
Anger after UCT appoints 69yr old retired white man to head up transformation
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Cape-Town - THE appointment of a 69-year-old retired white man as the acting deputy vice-chancellor (DVC) for transformation at UCT has been labelled a slap in the face of many suitable black, femme and queer candidates who should be encouraged to take up the portfolio.
Weighing in on controversy surrounding the appointment of British historical archaeologist and Emeritus Professor Martin Hall, UCT’s Student Representative Council (SRC) in a statement yesterday said they opposed the appointment even if it was a temporary one.
Reports emerged at the weekend that the DVC for transformation, Professor Loretta Feris was replaced with Hall, who served in a variety of roles at UCT between 1983 and 2008, on a R2 million salary package at a time when academics, staff and unions have been ordered to make cutbacks.