With the report on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change already warning of extreme weather conditions because of global warming, which has already been felt in several parts of KwaZulu-Natal, the Jozini local municipality in the far northern part of the province has unleashed a programme to keep rural communities safe during the burning season.
Veld fires are a common phenomenon in the predominantly savanna ecosystems of uMkhanyakude district, which the local council falls under.
In addition, the area is adjacent to a national road leading to Mozambique, making it prone to horrific accidents.
KwaZulu-Natal has a severe shortage of qualified firefighters and the rural districts continue to carry the heavy load of the shortfalls.
A 2022 parliamentary questions by the DA revealed that close to 1 000 firefighters were needed to close the glaring gaps. This included the lack of specialised equipment whenever fires broke out.
Mfananaye Mathe, the Jozini mayor, told Sunday World that the municipality has partnered with the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) to reduce the shortages.
“We had to have such a campaign because as a rural municipality many communities rely on sugarcane and stock farming as a form of livelihood, which when veld fires occur, the farmers suffers economically,” said Mathe on Thursday.
“Over the years, we have seen an increase in incidents of fires and the shortage of qualified fire fighters is not helping the problem.
“So, we have partnered with institutions such as TUT to train young people to become fire fighters. For this financial year, we have sent about 12 students whom we are hoping will graduate soon.”
The event was also used to commemorate the International Firefighters Day, which is observed every year on May 4.
The day itself was conceived following the tragic events of December 1998 in the Australian town of Linton, where five firefighters lost their lives in the line of duty.
Jason Thomas, Mathew Armstrong, Gerry Vredevelt, Chris Evans and Stuart Davidson died while trying to put down the raging fires which had engulfed the area.
Since then, the day has been commemorated worldwide to honour the bravery and selflessness of men and women who put their lives on the line to save people and property.
Samuel Khumalo, speaking on behalf of the uMkhanyakude district, bemoaned the state of disaster departments in municipalities, saying they were often neglected and lead to untold suffering when disaster strikes.
“We are severely under-staffed and we appeal for more resources because uMkhanyakude is a big district. The situation hampers our performance and our ability to respond on time during natural disasters,” Khumalo said.
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