ActionSA is deeply saddened and outraged by the destruction of a family home in Siyathuthuka Enkanini in Belfast, Ward 1, after what appears to have been a catastrophic failure by the Emakhazeni Local Municipality Fire and Rescue Services.
We extend our heartfelt condolences to the affected family, who have lost their home and belongings in a tragedy that could have been significantly reduced had the Municipality responded appropriately.
Eyewitness accounts, including my own observations at the scene, confirm that the Municipality dispatched only one firefighter in a small utility vehicle with no capacity to extinguish a fully developed structural fire. No operational fire engine arrived.
The firefighter had neither the equipment nor the tools required to contain the blaze. While at the scene, I contacted the municipal manager responsible for the Fire Department, requesting that a fully equipped fire engine be dispatched immediately. No meaningful intervention followed, and the family watched their home burn to the ground.
This is the third fire on the same street in Enkanini in the past six months. During a previous incident, residents were reportedly told there was no water available in Belfast to assist. On both occasions, community members risked their own lives trying to save homes while the Municipality failed to respond effectively.
This is unacceptable.
The Constitution and the Fire Brigade Services Act require municipalities to provide effective emergency services that protect lives and property. The repeated failures in Emakhazeni raise serious concerns about the Municipality’s ability to fulfil these obligations.
ActionSA is further concerned by reports that several municipal firefighting vehicles are non-operational and that there are no operational fire response vehicles stationed in Waterval Boven or Machadodorp, leaving thousands of residents exposed during emergencies.
ActionSA demands:
- A public explanation from the Executive Mayor on the continued collapse of municipal fire services.
- A full report from the manager responsible explaining why no fire engine was dispatched.
- An independent investigation by the Nkangala District Municipality into the state of firefighting services in Emakhazeni.
- An urgent audit of all firefighting vehicles, equipment and personnel, followed by the immediate repair or replacement of non-operational vehicles.
- Immediate support for the affected family.
Residents cannot continue living with the fear that when disaster strikes, help simply will not arrive.
This tragedy is not an isolated incident; it is the result of years of failing service delivery under the ANC. ActionSA will continue holding those responsible accountable until every resident can rely on competent emergency services and a municipality that values human life.
The people of Emakhazeni deserve better. The time for change is now.
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