The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Dr Zwelini Mkhize has called upon municipalities to ensure that buildings are fit for purpose to prevent future tragic incidents similar to the one that happened in the Bank of Lisbon where the lives of three firefighters were lost.
The Minister was delivering the opening address at the 2018 Conference of the Disaster Management Institute of Southern Africa, (DMISA) in Benoni, today on 19 September 2018. DMISA is meeting under the theme: Theme: Mobilising future – ready resilience; sustainably reducing disaster risk and disaster impact, today and tomorrow.
The Minister reiterated condolences to the families of the three brave firefighters, Simphiwe Moropane, Mduduzi Ndlovu and Khathutshelo Muedi. “The firefighters are true heroes and patriots who have paid the highest price in the service of humanity. Theirs was true selfless service. We salute them as the heroes who embody the true spirit of Nelson Mandela whose centenary we celebrate this year. May their souls rest in peace,” said the Minister.
He called upon municipalities to ensure that inspections are undertaken to ensure that buildings are safe for human use. “COGTA will support the investigations into what happened at the Bank of Lisbon building. COGTA will focus on ensuring that municipalities have the necessary capacity, that firefighters and other disaster management practitioners are trained and that there are enough resources for mitigation and to ensure resilience,’’ said the Minister.
The National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) of COGTA is working closely with the Fire Protection Association of Southern Africa to build the capacity of Fire Services with particular focus on fire safety and prevention training.
The Minister has also called upon government departments to ensure compliance with minimum standards.
“We need to ensure that the lives of our firefighters and all emergency and rescue workers are safe at all times. We make a call to all government departments and municipalities to ensure that the minimum safety standards are observed in all their buildings as the first line of defence against disaster. Our ability to save lives and reduce the impact of fires and other similar disasters are dependent on the preventative steps we take long before disaster strikes,’’ said the Minister.
Enquiries:
Musa Zondi
Spokesperson to the Ministry
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