The North Gauteng High Court’s ruling of 17 December 2025, dismissing the City of Tshwane’s attempt to have private fire-fighting services declared unlawful, is a resounding victory for community safety and common sense.
This failed legal application is a direct consequence of the ANC/EFF/ActionSA coalition’s poor governance.
Under leadership of the Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus), the Metro maintained that there is no legal ban prohibiting private entities or voluntary associations from providing fire-fighting services to protect lives and property.
The Court has confirmed this and ruled that the Fire Brigade Services Act does not prohibit private services.
The harsh reality is that municipal fire-fighting services in Tshwane and across South Africa are often inadequate or entirely absent.
This failure puts residents, their property and critical infrastructure at serious risk.
There is simply no moral defence for a coalition that is failing to fulfil its constitutional mandate to try and stop private services from doing what is needed.
The Freedom Front Plus notes that the national Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) is currently drafting regulations for private fire services.
The party has already made submissions and will keep applying pressure to expedite the process.
In the interim, memorandums of understanding between municipalities and private operators could ensure that service delivery is responsible and transparent, so that residents are not exposed to incompetent operators without oversight and accountability.
The Court further pointed out that Tshwane’s legal team, without mandate, argued that national and provincial COGTA supported their case, when in fact this was not true.
This fumble contributed to the application failing.
Even though the Metro already finds itself under immense financial strain, the current administration incurred massive legal costs, including punitive costs orders against two senior advocates.
Yet another damning failure of the ANC/EFF/ActionSA coalition.
The Freedom Front Plus demands that the wasteful expenditure not be overlooked and that the poor decision-making that led to the legal battle be accounted for.
The Freedom Front Plus remains committed to helping private and public services join hands to ensure the safety of Tshwane’s residents.
Freedom Front Plus Language Rights: It supports the protection of Afrikaans as a language of instruction and communication.
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