ACDP calls for the urgent filling of critical vacancies in disaster management and for routine safety drills at national key points.
The African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) has raised concern over Ekurhuleni’s ability to respond to disasters, warning that communities remain vulnerable due to poor planning, lack of resources, and failing infrastructure.
Speaking in Council last week, ACDP Ekurhuleni councillor Palesa Yates said the city had been spared major calamities since the Boksburg gas tanker explosion in 2022, but stressed that its disaster management unit was ill-equipped.
“The ACDP thanks God for protecting the city from major disasters since the Boksburg blast of 2022. We are not well-prepared. But this is not all the fault of Disaster Management,” said Yates.
Safety concerns in communities
Yates highlighted deteriorating municipal buildings and service delivery backlogs as growing safety threats.
She pointed to the Rondebult sinkholes, which remain unattended, and illegal mining operations that continue to destabilise land while creating informal settlements.
“Even CoE [City of Ekurhulen] buildings and facilities are becoming dangerous because of a lack of maintenance. The Rondebult sinkholes have still not been fixed, zama zamas are undermining Ekurhuleni while creating their own communities, and just weeks ago, shacks were set on fire in Plastic City in Brakpan,” she said.
Yates added that displaced women and children from the Brakpan shack fires were now forced to live at a traffic circle, a situation she described as preventable.
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Call for equipment and manpower
The ACDP called for the urgent filling of critical vacancies within disaster management and the regular conduct of safety drills at national key points and at major hazardous installations.
Yates stressed that the city’s first responders needed better equipment.
“Every emergency vehicle must carry the Jaws of Life – when a vehicle is on fire, there is no time to go and fetch equipment,” she said.
She further urged authorities to clamp down on illegal electricity connections, warning that these posed constant fire hazards.
“Illegal electricity connections must also be regularly removed – and Eskom must help us with those in their areas,” Yates said.
The ACDP has urged the City of Ekurhuleni to act swiftly, saying lives remain at risk unless disaster management capacity is strengthened.
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