The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Mr. Velenkosini Hlabisa will address the final day of the National Fire Services Indaba currently taking place in Bloemfontein, Free State.

The Minister will be joined by the Deputy Minister of COGTA, Rev Prince Zolile Burns-Ncamashe; Free State MEC of COGTA, Mr Teboho Mokoena as well as the Executive Mayor of the Mangaung Metro, Cllr Gregory Nthatisi.

The Indaba held under the theme “Building Resilient Communities: Collaborative Strategies for Fire Risk Reduction” is convened by the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) to strengthen coordination, policy alignment, and implementation across the sector.

The Indaba supports a decisive shift from reactive fire response to a proactive, prevention-led and predictive fire risk reduction approach. This shift is anchored in the White Paper on Fire Services and aligned to the priorities of the National Development Plan (NDP), particularly those related to building safer communities, strengthening state capability, and improving disaster resilience.

Members of the media are invited to cover the closing day of the Indaba scheduled to take place as follows:

Date : 27 February 2026
Time : 08:00
Venue : President Hotel, Bloemfontein, Free State

Ends-

For media enquiries, kindly contact:

Ms Pearl Maseko Binqose
Media Liaison Officer to the Minister of CoGTA
082 772 1709

Mr. Legadima Leso
Head of Communications – CoGTA
066 479 9904

Issued by the Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs