Firefighters once again fleeing from angry mob
As per information on the scene, communities from both Moleleki section and Sunrise had a dispute on service delivery matters.
EKURHULENI Disaster and Emergency Management Services (DEMS) firefighters once again found themselves having to flee from an angry mob in Katlehong.
Firefighters from Zonkizizwe Fire Station responded to a structural fire call in their newly replaced fire engine in Sunrise section after the previous one was torched in the same vicinity in September 2016.
The crews who were escorted by the police on their way to the incident, couldn’t get to the intended destination as they were blasted with rocks by an angry community of Moleleki section and subsequently, both vehicles had to turn away for safety.
Fortunately, no windows of the fire engine were struck during the attack, but all five crew members were left with huge astonishment and fear.
As per information on the scene, communities from both Moleleki section and Sunrise had a dispute on service delivery matters. Concrete lamp poles were broken down, wooden electrical power lines burnt down, power cables cut off and centralised water taps were broken, leading to thousands of litres of valuable water being wasted.
Of a great concern, is the caller who couldn’t get the service as requested and expected from emergency services due to the rioting mob.
The DEMS department once again pleads with everyone to please stop the attacks on the personnel as there are better ways and means to address frustrations. The department has risen the flag of peace for everyone to see.
Destroying the good today will bring detrimental effects tomorrow. Bringing service delivery dissatisfaction to the attention of the relevant management is a better mechanism than taking the law into own hands.
*Press release (edited) supplied by William Ntladi, district manager media liaison: Emergency Services Disaster and Emergency Management Services (DEMS).
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