Tshwane’s bravest honoured at Kolonade Park
The diving crew part of the Hennops River recovery were also honoured on the day.
Residents gathered this weekend at Kolonade Retail Park in Montana, north of Pretoria, to pay homage to the metro’s bravest men and women on International Firefighters’ Day.
The day’s events, hosted by the Tshwane Emergency Service Department (ESD), included:
– The ceremonial candlelight and reading of the names of fallen firefighters.
– The unveiling of 11 new vehicles.
– The passing-out parade of 38 Firefighter students.
– The passing-out parade of 12 Fire Officers’ Course students.
– The display and performance of scenarios simulating various rescue incidents and other interesting firefighters’ activities.
Distinguished guests included the metro’s mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya, MMC for Finance and Deputy Mayor Eugene Modise, Community Safety MMC Hannes Coetzee, and Tshwane EMS Chief, Moshema Petrus Mosia.
Also in attendance were the diving crew who were involved in the recovery of the bodies of three young police constables in the Hennops River, Centurion, last week. They were honoured by the metro.
“I do believe that it is a special occasion to honour those who have fallen and who remain with us and continue to serve our capital city with dignity. You have chosen a profession that demands more than just your skills, your firefighter’s prayer gets me every time,” said Moya.
The mayor commended the firefighters for their bravery, saying that they put their most valuable asset on the line every day. She recounted instances over the years when the ESD were called into action and responded.
The Community Safety MMC said that the day was to honour those in the front line of the community, the heroes who have fallen, veterans with years of service and recruits ready to serve.
Coetzee also said that the metro only has 661 active firefighters, while the national requirement is over 4 800.
“We must treat the expansion of the emergency services as an urgent development imperative, not a future possibility. Let us not forget that this day is also a day of public awareness.”
He spoke about the symbolic meaning of the red and blue ribbon. “It represents the two elements most found in a crisis: fire and water, danger and response. But more importantly, it reflects a duality that defines the essence of emergency services, discipline and compassion, strength and humility,” Coetzee said.
The deputy mayor said that more investment in the training of firefighters is needed while recounting various recent fires that the ESD responded to at power stations, hospitals and other areas around the metro.
“It’s very strange and worrying, how they are mutating. I want us to invest time and training in our firefighters. We need to train them to empower them with the skills for forensic investigations into these fires.”
Modise said the Brakfontein fire, which lasted 11 days, “made our people fight with the city”.
“People lost their groceries and their medication in the process, and I think it would be an indictment on us to turn a blind eye to this situation.
He said he has spoken to the President as well as the Minister for Electricity.
“I’ve told them we don’t have the capacity at this stage and we cannot say it’s sabotage, but the preliminary investigation warrants an in-depth investigation into these matters,” he said.
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to bennittb@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok.
