Following a recent oversight inspection, the Democratic Alliance (DA) discovered that Lekwa local municipality in Standerton does not have a single working fire engine, which puts its 118 000 residents at high risk and in danger should a fire break out in the area.
After receiving a number of calls that houses are burning down without any intervention from the Lekwa fire department, the DA conducted an oversight inspection and made this discovery. We also found that the fire department does not have Fire Protective Equipment (PPE).
This is in violation of the Fire Brigade Services Act no 99 of 1987 which clearly states that a municipality has a legal duty to provide fire-fighting services and equipment to its residents.
Some of the firefighters voiced their frustration at receiving desperate calls from the community to assist in extinguishing a fire but not being able to do.
There are also unverified reports that the municipality recently spent R573 275 to rent a single and old fire engine for just one month.
After doing the oversight at the Lekwa fire department, the DA went to the office of the Municipal Manger (MM), Gugu Mhlongo-Ntshangase, but she refused to engage with the DA delegation in any way.
She also instructed the Head of Technical Services not to answer any questions from the DA about the fire department.
The DA will urgently escalate this matter and we will not rest until there is an intervention. We cannot sit idle and watch people’s properties destroyed and their lives endangered by fire while the Lekwa Local Municipality is doing nothing about it.
The Lekwa fire department is crippled. We call on the Mpumalanga Provincial Government, specifically Cogta MEC Mandla Msibi, to urgently intervene and help the municipality with necessary fire-fighting equipment before there’s a loss of lives.
If the Provincial Government fails to intervene as soon as possible, the DA will have no choice but to open a case against the Municipal Manager for a violation of the Fire Brigade Services Act no 99 of 1987.