After wildfires plagued the coastal town of Knysna, authorities have spent the last week assessing the extent of damage to infrastructure, public works minister Nathi Nhleko said.

The fires completely destroyed more than 600 homes and left more than 10,000 people displaced. Thousands of people also had to be evacuated and seven people lost their lives. This included a young family of three, a volunteer fire fighter and a mother and daughter.

Further down the western coastline, heavy storms also recently destroyed homes and infrastructure in Cape Town.

Nhleko told media a technical assessment team evaluated the damage to public infrastructure caused by heavy storms‚ strong winds and fires in parts of the Western Cape.

He said: “Urgent intervention required to expedite repairs and minimum interruption of services to communities will be determined on the strength of the team’s recommendations.”

He also suggested the adoption of a multi-sectoral approach in order to coordinate relief efforts and interventions to assist those who were severely affected by the fires and rains.

Nhleko thanked South Africans from all sectors that contributed to relief and aid and said available resources needed to be stretched as far as possible to cover all these areas.

Officials from the Knysna Municipality said they have been on the ground since the natural disaster happened, attending to infrastructural challenges in affected communities.

Some of the major problems which needed to be resolved concerned water and electricity supply.

Fran Kirsten, municipality spokesperson, said: “We are working on the infrastructure, we know places don’t have water and power, and Eskom and Telkom are in town.”

Fire fighters and authorities are still on high alert in areas of concern and mop up operations will be done in communities where the threat of fires has been averted, Kirsten added.