TCM officials laugh while shack burns to ashes
“It hurts and it shows that our municipality does not care for its people,” Masuku added.
MASHISHING – While a shack was burning, two disaster-management officials allegedly stood laughing at some members of the public in extension 6 while they were trying to extinguish the blaze.
Seven people were left destitute, with nothing but the clothes on their back.
When Steelburger/Lydenburg News arrived the shack was completely reduced to ashes.
According to two of the ward committee members, Hendrick Sibanyoni and Zodwa Masuku who were also there, they immediately phoned Thaba Chweu’s Disaster Management when the shack caught fire.
“They told us their vehicles didn’t have petrol. They then referred us to Mbombela. We phoned again and after an hour they told us that their phones were not working. They didn’t even bother to respond,” they said.
According to the Extension 6 community it was not the first time something like this had happened. “This is the third time. One of my nieces died in a shack because of this mismanaged municipality,” Sibanyoni added.
They said that after some time two TCM officials showed up, but instead of helping frantic community members with the fire, they simply stood there laughing at them.
“It hurts and it shows that our municipality does not care for its people,” Masuku added.
The owner of the burnt shack Mr Joshua Sekgobela told the newspaper that it was the electricity that caused the fire, “It started tripping at about 06:00 in the morning and I suspected something was wrong,” he said.
The newspaper sent queries regarding the situation to TCM and asked whether disaster management employees were in the habit of laughing at helpless community members, and whether it was true that the response vehicles had no fuel to get to emergency scenes. The newspaper also questioned the state of affairs at the TCM disaster management, whether there was any equipment available and whether the municipality had received a fire truck yet.
Steelburger/Lydenburg News also asked if this department was capable of providing emergency services to the residents.
At the time of going to print, TCM had not responded.
