KNYSNA NEWS - Victims of last year's Farleigh fires where eight people lost their lives were dealt another blow when they were issued with eviction notices two weeks ago by SA National Parks (SANParks) who owns the land where they reside.

Despite a series of meetings with the municipality and SANParks officials, families of the deceased – who are still coming to terms with the trauma they experienced on 29 October last year – as well as neighbours, friends and other victims, are still in a state of confusion as to whether they can stay on the land or not.

The letter, dated 7 February and signed by Garden Route National Park manager Paddy Gordon, advised all residents of Farleigh who lost their homes and were subsequently moved into rented mobile homes, that they have until 31 July 2019 to vacate to the "option" provided by Knysna Municipality.

Municipality 'not aware'
When asked what option this was, mayor Mark Willemse said he was surprised that the municipality was mentioned in the letter and that Sanparks had not consulted them. "I am not aware of what SANParks is referring to," he said.

This resulted in municipal officials and councillors visiting the tiny community "where grievances were heard", according to community leader and fire victim Nataniel Oelf.

Following this visit by the municipality and the emotional reaction by the Farleigh residents, members of SANParks' executive management also hosted a meeting with them, which was attended by SANParks CEO Fundisile Mketeni and managing executive Property Mokoena, Gordon, Knysna deputy mayor Ricky van Aswegen and councillor Mandla Matiwane. It was here that community poured out their hearts – venting frustration at the situation and at SANParks' apparent inability to find a permanent solution such as rebuilding their homes.

These victims of the Farleigh fires could still be evicted by SANParks at the end of July this year. Photo: Yaseen Gaffar

Sanparks blamed for lives lost
The residents reminded SANParks management that some of them have been living on the property for 40 years and longer, and accused the national parks entity of not implementing fire safety precautions in recent years. Stopping short of putting all blame on SANParks for not evacuating them fast enough when the fire ravaged the area, residents also reiterated their claim at the time that SANParks could have saved lives on the day the fire consumed their homes.

Residents were also unanimous in saying that they will not move and that they had been occupying the land long before SANParks took over ownership of the property.

"I think we dropped the ball a long time ago," responded Mketeni, referring to SANParks, public entities and government. "This area falls under Forestry and when we took over ownership, we actually took over a problem. Shelter is a basic right and we need to move forward," he said.

'Situation requires investigation'
Mketeni acknowledged the reaction to the eviction notice but insisted there were more important issues at hand. He asked for all residents to participate in a study or investigation conducted by a facilitator who would help determine the timeline in which residents moved to the area and how long they had been living there. The Farleigh community is made up of current SANParks staff, retirees from the department of forestry and private citizens who had not worked for any of the two organisations. 

"The situation is complex and requires further engagement with various departments and local government," said Mketeni. "Once we determine categories of community members living here, we can discuss solutions and move forward. I will be meeting with the mayor to discuss this as well," he said.

Following the meeting, the Farleigh residents received another SANParks letter – this time signed by Mketeni – stating that he has held discussions with the mayor and that residents can stay in the mobile homes until a process to determine the best solutions forward can be completed. In a statement, SANParks said it has accommodated the Farleigh community in private establishments since the fires of October 2018, which included the provision of daily meals and support for those affected.

'No one will be relocated'
"The Farleigh community will now remain in occupation of the rented facilities until such time that a permanent solution is agreed upon by a multi-agency initiative. No member of the Farleigh community will be relocated unless such relocation is informed by the process referred to."

It was further stated that houses that were only partially damaged by the fire have been repaired by SANParks, allowing some staff members to return to their staff accommodation. Of the 172 people affected by the fire, 120 have moved back into houses. In total, 13 houses were gutted in Rooikraal, Farleigh.

As a medium-term solution, the remaining 52 people were relocated from the private establishment where they were being housed, to temporary mobile park homes that were set up in Farleigh.

Read a previous article here: Farleigh blaze claims 2 women, 6 children 

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