Fire at abandoned angling club building in Southport sparks questions
About 4000 litres of water was used to extinguish the blaze.
Questions are being raised about emergency response times after a man’s body was found in the charred remains of the abandoned angling club building in Southport last Friday evening.
The man who tragically lost his life in the fire has been identified as Bongani Ngwane.
Saps Ugu District Communication said that at about 22:00 police and necessary emergency services were notified of the fire.
“After the blaze was extinguished, the body of a man was found. An inquest has been opened for investigation.”
Nomusa Zulu, spokesperson for Ray Nkonyeni Municipality (RNM), said at 23:03 the municipality’s emergency control centre received a call (which is logged) from Southport police station reporting that a municipal building was on fire close to the Southport Library.
Fire crews were immediately dispatched. “On arrival, fire crews reported that the roof of the burning building had already collapsed. They were informed that a homeless person was known to sleep in the building. The body of a dead man was later discovered and removed by state forensic services.”
About 4000 litres of water was used to extinguish the blaze.
Chris Viljoen, ward committee member of Ward 16, said: “I believe it took emergency services more than an hour to respond. That is after it took Lazer 911 and Saps a while just to get hold of them. With the bridge closure, I raised concerns at two public meetings about how cut off we are from emergency and ambulance services. I warned this would cost lives. RNM ignored those warnings, focused on toll fee issues, and now someone is dead. I place this death on their shoulders.”
Residents also claim that calls to the fire department often go unanswered or are redirected, fuelling growing frustration over emergency response capability in the area.
The public is asked to utilise the emergency service numbers: 039 6825555 or 039 6882118 to report incidents.
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