Authorities have welcomed the two-year suspended sentence imposed on an arsonist held responsible for starting the devastating Paarl fire last year.

Rudolf Coxam, 42, from Paarl was found guilty of charges relating to the Veld and Forestry Fire Act and sentenced in the Paarl Magistrates’ Court on 11 February 2025. His sentence was suspended for five years on condition he was not convicted of a similar crime during the period of suspension.

Coxam was arrested a day after the November 30, 2024 fire which caused damage to 123 hectares of vegetation. Drakenstein Municipality’s Law Enforcement executed the arrest following a tip-off that Coxam had illegally made a fire on Paarl Mountain.

“A suspended jail sentence in this case sends out a strong message to people making themselves guilty of such behaviour, and it is a clear sign that authorities are not taking this lightly. It is simply unacceptable that people show such disregard for their environment and their fellow citizens,” said Drakenstein Municipality mayor Stephen Korabie.

“In addition to putting our residents and their properties in danger, it caused significant damage to Paarl Mountain, its vegetation and animal life. Then we have not even mentioned the costs involved in extinguishing this destructive fire,” he said.

Anton Bredell, MEC for Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning congratulated Drakenstein Municipality Law Enforcement officials for their "excellent work".

“This conviction sends a strong message that arson is a serious crime and there are consequences if you are found guilty. Not only are wildfires an environmental threat, but it also holds enormous risks for human life as well as potential infrastructure damages. Adding to this is the inherently dangerous work of managing wildfires by our firefighting community. These brave men and women put their lives at risk to protect affected communities,” said Bredell.

Colin Deiner, chief director: Disaster Management and Fire Rescue Services for the Western Cape Disaster Risk Management Centre said: “We welcome the sentence handed down by the court. The Western Cape Government, together with Cape Nature, SAN Parks, City of Cape Town and the 5 District Municipalities spend approximately R100 million per year in combating wildfires which, if left uncontrolled, could cause several billions of rands of damage to property and result in the deaths of humans and animals."

"More than 90% of the wildfires that our services respond to in the summer season are caused by human agency. In most cases this is due to negligence, however, a number of these are started maliciously and these are usually the most devastating. We recognise the difficulty in identifying the perpetrators of these crimes. It is for this reason that we are deeply appreciative of the work of the community and law enforcement in this case.”

Weekend Argus

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Court sentences arsonist to two years in jail for devastating Paarl fire