A helicopter pilot helping to fight the Cape Town fires has been killed while making a forced landing.
Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa has sent her condolences to the family of veteran pilot Hendrik Marais, who was killed on Sunday morning.
Her spokesperson, Zolile Nqayi, says Marais was part of a team of two helicopters and a spotter plane on their way to fight a fire in the Cape Point Nature Reserve.
He says the cause of the incident will be investigated.
Nqayi says Marais was one of the pilots lauded for his exceptional work over the past week.
"We have all become starkly aware of the tremendous dedication and skills these pilots display in the fires that ravaged the Cape Peninsula over the past week. Were it not for their and their fire-fighter counterparts on the ground, Cape Town would have experienced far greater damage and losses of property, and risks to lives," Molewa said.
"Mr Marais was one of the pilots lauded for the exceptional work over the past week, when over 2,000 “drops” were made (each of about 1,100 litres) on the fire that started near Muizenberg, and spread to Noordhoek, Hout Bay, Tokai and Constantia," she added.
