Peninsula arsonists light up their boring lives

17-year old Joe Soap (real name withheld) is over the moon with his latest arsonist exploits, having kindled a blaze above Simonstown which generated a massive response. 'It was such a gas. While everyone was fighting the blaze across the bay above Glencairn, me and my mates sparked a little flare-up above Simonskloof where all the smart homes are. We put it in the western corner so the westerly wind would blow it across the slope right above the houses.' Even for Soap, a veteran fire-lighter in the southern Peninsula despite his youth, the reaction was spectacular. Fire engines and volunteer firefighters poured in from nowhere, shortly followed by three helicopters and a spotter plane. Flames were leaping 30 feet into the air. Soap and his mates doubled round into the village and watched the action from near the yacht club. There they had ringside seats as the choppers swooped down from the mountain side to scoop buckets full of water, spraying the contents over the fire. It took three days and nights to finally extinguish the blaze. Avers Soap: 'Life is boring when you have no job and live in a squatter camp. Hours and days pass with nothing to do. But once mid-summer comes around and the winds get up you can really get some action. Suddenly everyone's running around, rolling out hoses and firefighters pour in from all over the Peninsula. It's an audio and visual feast with sirens, chopper blades beating the air, and the flames crackling like a thousand paper packets, to say nothing of the heat.' Continues Soap: 'It sure livens up the day....and night. So what if one or two homes go up in smoke? They're all rich, they have proper homes after all.' Soap has a loose connection with other fire-lighting groups around the Western Cape (for instance the Signal Hill and Helderberg cabals) but is careful not to get too close for fear of getting caught. Some journalists have speculated that the arsonists are linked to the Fees Must Fall student groups in the province but Soap says this is pure speculation. He retorts: 'Those dudes don't care what happens to the poorer students when they set fire to buildings on campus. Our work actually creates work opportunities for people, so just about everybody gains.'