Firefighters are battling more than just blazes, as they detail to The Citizen the alleged harsh conditions they work under.
A firefighter at the Mabopane Fire Station says they are afraid to report problems experienced by the facility to management for fear of being fired.
The firefighter who has been working at the Mabopane Fire Station since 2001 painted a grim picture of the facility, claiming it is plagued by extended bouts of power outages, no uniforms or combat boots, and workers fearing for their lives.
Load shedding/reduction
He told The Citizen, on the condition of anonymity, that the station does not have a backup generator to run the facility when they have no power.
“We had a generator, but it broke, and it has not been fixed since 2022.”
The firefighter said this leaves the facility in complete darkness at night and a target for criminals.
“It [load reduction/outages] is almost every day because just nearby the RDPs have tenants and they are doing inzingoka, inzingoka (illegal connections). Every day, there is a load reduction or outages. We don’t know what is happening; we just suddenly don’t have electricity.”
He claims the outages run from 5am until 10am and 5pm to 10pm.
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Unapproachable management
The firefighter said workers had complained to their union about problems, urging them to confront management to improve service, but claimed the unions are scared to report the issues.
“The union is afraid of our chief of emergency. There’s a crisis at Mabopane. When we confront the union, they say there is nothing they can do,” he alleged.
Security
The firefighter claimed the fire station also lacks adequate fencing, allowing people to use the facility as a shortcut.
“They leave the train station and just pass our building during the morning and in the afternoon. It is a problem because when they see it’s dark, they can take advantage. We’ve got a security guard, but he’s only one guy per shift.”
Boots
He added that firefighters don’t have uniforms or sufficient combat boots.
“Our combat boots are not up to standard. The laces we are using are fishing lines, and you cannot fight grass fires with those boots.
“All the firefighters and the management know the situation at Mabopane, but management is doing nothing,” the firefighter alleged.
Tshwane responds
Acting Public Information and Liaison Officer for the Tshwane Emergency Services Department, Lindsay Mnguni, acknowledged to The Citizen that the generator was currently non-operational and is scheduled for repairs.
“In addition, there are solar panels and a portable power generator to provide contingency lighting if there is a power failure.”
Mnguni rejected the claim that management is unapproachable.
“The department has a functional Departmental Labour Forum, where both the unions and management engage without any form of reprisal on issues that affect the employees.”
Mnguni said combat boots have been issued to all personnel during the 2024/2025 financial year, adding that they are meant for normal daily duties, excluding firefighting.
In response, the firefighter said he hoped the generator would be speedily repaired and that an additional security guard would be hired to bolster security.
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