By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Bernice Swarts has dismissed reports that the firefighting vehicles in Tshwane had been unused for more than two years.
Swarts visited the Centurion Fire Station to inspect the firefighting vehicles currently being stored at the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality.
Swarts’ visit follows media reports that the firefighting vehicles are sitting idle in depots across the country instead of being used for active firefighting.
The trucks were given to the Tshwane Municipality by the department last year November to boost disaster and fire management response.
However, the municipality has not been able to use them as council has not passed a resolution to have them registered on the city’s asset register.
“These vehicles arrived at Tshwane Fire Station in November 2024. Any suggestion that they have been sitting idle for two years is incorrect,” she clarified.
Having said that, we must also afford municipalities the opportunity to follow their internal processes – including coming up with Council resolutions – regarding the transfer of these firefighting vehicles,” Deputy Minister added.
The vehicles were procured by the Department for use by the Service Provider in the implementation of Working on Fire Programme initiated by the Department.
The Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) made a finding in that Service Providers are expected to use their own resources to execute Bid related objectives as provided for in the current 5 years contract concluded on 6 January 2023.
Swarts acknowledged the impact that repossessing the vehicles from the service provider (Kishugu) has had on FPAs, which play a critical role in combating veld fires.
She reassured FPAs and stakeholders within the forestry sector that the Department is working to ensure the vehicles are swiftly transferred to municipalities for operational use.
In total, DFFE has reclaimed 283 firefighting vehicles from Kishugu. Of these, 107 are earmarked to be transferred to various municipalities in the country. The remain 176 vehicles are used by the Department’s internal forestry branch to manage fires in DFFE plantations across the country.