Ms Shabalala aims big for fire department
The newly appointed fire chief, Ms Simphiwe Shelly Shabalala, aims at providing good services to residents.
SECUNDA – Ms Simphiwe Shelly Shabalala has been appointed as the chief fire officer recently.
She is the first women to be appointed in this position in the history of the Govan Mbeki Municipality and the second in the province.
“I am very appreciative of the opportunity given to me by the municipality. “The ball is in now my court and I am ready to take on the job ahead.
“I want to see the Govan Mbeki Municipality Fire Department reaching the standard of a model city.
“I will ensure that we have skilled and well-equipped fire officers to manage emergency incidents that may arise in the area.”
She was born and raised in Ermelo and attended the Msebe Primary School and matriculated at the Lindile Secondary School in 1993.
She then furthered her studies at the University of Durban Westville, where she got a BA Degree in human sciences in 1996.
She was employed as a fire fighter in 2001 at the Gert Sibande Municipality and in 2003 she got a job as senior fire fighter at the Govan Mbeki Municipality.
“I went through all the ranks.”
“It was not easy, but determination and commitment kept me focused all these years.”
Ms Shabalala enrolled for a national diploma in fire technology at the Tshwane University of Technology in 2006. She did not stop there and got a B Tech in fire technology in 2011.
All her studies were funded by the Govan Mbeki Municipality. She is currently doing her master’s degree in disaster management.
