The City of Cape Town believes there may be deliberate criminal intent at play, amid a major surge in arson cases recorded in the latest national crime statistics.
Cape Town ranked highest in the country for arson cases during the third quarter crime reporting period, with 194 incidents registered between October and December 2025 in the Western Cape. During the same period in 2024, 192 cases were registered in the province.
Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, JP Smith, said this is deeply concerning, especially after multiple fires broke out near Devil’s Peak along Phillip Kgosana Drive on Monday.
He noted that firefighting teams were again confronted with suspicious circumstances.
“Our Fire & Rescue service responded today to another fire in Table Mountain National Park, to what again appeared to be a case of arson,” he said.
The first fire was reported along that road near Vredehoek at 13:00, after which the Table Mountain fire and two others were ignited. Smith said all the fires were on the same route.
“Such a situation could quickly result in widespread disaster, following a period of high temperatures in our City over recent days which has left vegetation dry and flammable – something any arsonist must have been well aware of,” he added.
Smith noted that Fire & Rescue services responded to 3,492 vegetation fires between December 2025 and January 2026, which he said was 279 more incidents than during the same period in the previous year.
Taking this in account and referencing the Police Ministry’s statistics mentioned earlier, Smith raised concern.
“This suggests there is credible evidence of a purposeful criminal element seeking to cause widespread destruction, for whatever reason. Cape Town is no stranger to such criminality. In 2021, 7 months before the local government elections, a forensic report identified arson that resulted in a fire almost at the very same location. That incident caused damages estimated to be over R1 billion, but the greatest loss came from permanently losing a part of our heritage when the UCT Library Archives were destroyed, along with the iconic Mostert’s Mill, which has since been rebuilt,” said Smith.
Smith highlighted other arson cases in the city, such as when water infrastructure was targeted in suspected arson attacks in Wallacedene in 2022 and at the Steenbras Dam water treatment plant in Gordon’s Bay in 2024, followed by incidents at Slangkop Lighthouse and Pinehaven. He added that a vehicle was also seen driving away from a fire on Redhill at Table Mountain National Park, which he said is the subject of an official probe by SANParks as of January 2025.
“While the municipality has done everything possible to protect its residents, it’s now up to the South African Police Service to investigate and prosecute those responsible for any criminality,” said Smith.
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