No budget for building new Tshwane fire stations despite existing need for more
Tshwane Emergency Services Department says although the existing stations were strategically built to respond promptly to fires, overtime factors such as population growth and development have shown a need for more stations to be built in more communities.
Although there is a need for 10 or more fire stations in Tshwane, the municipality decided to skip this year and not build any stations.
In the municipality’s 2022/23 financial year budget delivered last week, there was no money for the construction of emergency service stations.
“While the emergency services department has not been allocated a capital project budget for the 2022/23 financial year, the department will continue to plan for the future construction of emergency services stations across Tshwane,” finance MMC Peter Sutton said in his budget speech.
The department had a capital budget of R13-million in the 2021/22 financial year which was decreased to R6.2-million. In 2022/23 the budget dwindled to zero.
“The department is often rated as one of the top emergency services departments in South African local government,” Sutton said.
An additional 10 stations were still required to be built in the region, said Tshwane emergency services department deputy chief Charles Mabaso.
“The emergency services prioritised the new stations over 10 years which forms part of the departments’ long-term project plan,” Mabaso said.
Areas such as Shere in the east of Pretoria, Klip-Kruisfontein in Soshanguve and Rooihuiskraal in Centurion were among the communities that Mabaso said needed fire stations.
“There is definitely a need for more fire stations in Tshwane,” he said.
“The establishment of new stations is informed by the emergency risk profile conducted by the CSIR’s accessibility analysis and social facility planning report which indicates areas within Tshwane are without sufficient coverage.”
Tshwane currently has 21 fire stations.
Mabaso said although the existing stations were strategically built to respond quickly to fires.
Over time factors such as population growth and development have shown a need for more stations to be built in more communities. To deal with the increasing demand and swift response, Mabaso said at times stations supported each other.
Without the development budget, Mabaso said this would delay the department’s plans, adding that “the department did make a submission for the capital budget, however, zero was allocated”.
Last year, the municipality built a R62-million fire station in Mamelodi to serve the residents of the township and the Nellmapius township, but it was still not operational in April.
Previously speaking to the Rekord, Mabaso said it was “extremely important to have the fire stations as a resource of saving lives in townships as most fires erupt there”.
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