The remains of burnt out buildings are seen along main street in the New South Wales town of Cobargo on December 31, 2019, after bushfires ravaged the town. – Thousands of holidaymakers and locals were forced to flee to beaches in fire-ravaged southeast Australia on December 31, as blazes ripped through popular tourist areas leaving no escape by land. (Photo by SEAN DAVEY / AFP)
The remains of burnt out buildings are seen along main street in the New South Wales town of Cobargo on December 31, 2019, after bushfires ravaged the town. – Thousands of holidaymakers and locals were forced to flee to beaches in fire-ravaged southeast Australia on December 31, as blazes ripped through popular tourist areas leaving no escape by land. (Photo by SEAN DAVEY / AFP)
No good deed goes unpunished, and it would seem the Western Cape government can’t do right for doing wrong. The provincial administration had confirmed there was an offer in place to send 40 of their most experienced firefighters to help tackle the Australia fires, which have consumed the island from coast-to-coast.
Western Cape offer to help fight Australia fires
Anton Bredell is the Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning in the Western Cape. He said in a statement that he believes the emergency crews “can make a difference” Down Under, and revealed that he would be willing to send even more resources if required:
“Disasters do not recognize boundaries and in the spirit of humanity and friendship, the Western Cape extended its offer of support to the Australian government. The world has been shocked by the severity of the ongoing fires in Australia and we believe where we can make a difference, we should certainly try do so.”
“Over the past ten years we have built up a highly experienced network of firefighters, who have assisted other countries with wildfires in the past. Our initial offer to Australia includes a firefighting team of about forty highly experienced, wildland firefighters and a command element, with the possibility of expanding on this.”
Anton Bredell
Social media reacts
However, not everyone is impressed with this humanitarian offer. This was the general sentiment amongst the Twitter crowds of South Africa, who feel that local resources would be better used elsewhere:
Wow isn’t this a slap on the face? So the Western Cape has money for Australia fires but zero money for water and sanitation in townships… Must be nice https://t.co/WC4qBbExJo pic.twitter.com/VLQPN5sueP
— Aaron’s Mom (@amaivaaaron) January 8, 2020
Thoughts and prayers to Australia but damn Western Cape gotta spend resources on some other stuff right now.
— Nikesh Kooverjee ? (@NikeshKooverjee) January 8, 2020
Bredell confirmed that their offer to send a team to fight the Australia fires has not yet been accepted, but remains on the table. The controversy has become a thorny issue, and James-Brent Styan – a Western Cape government colleague – has explained how sending firefighters elsewhere actually benefits us all:
“The Western Cape govern has helped out in many countries, too – including Haiti and Mozambique. We also lend our services to other South African provinces. Frankly, we don’t discriminate between who needs help. The province had done a lot of work work to tackle residential and local fires, particularly in townships.”
“We take local issues very seriously in domestic areas. What we must remember is that the Australia fires are a wildfire crisis, and that’s what our team tackle regularly. We’re upskilling our own people in extreme conditions. That’s beneficial for both us and the people we want to assist.”
James-Brent Styan
