Worst affected was Mpumalanga, where three sawmills were burnt down. Water affairs and forestry acting director-general Shibu Rampedi has described the fires as devastating to the South African timber industry.
"At the moment, we are not able to put down the real cost of the fires, but we can report that the ministry has just received a report from the industry. We are still studying the report, and the minister will be advised appropriately. There is a lot of demand for timber for construction, for mining and other purposes. So obviously the recent fires will make it even worse in terms of increasing the demand," he said.
