Durban — The six workers who died while fighting a runaway fire in Sappi-owned Sterling Farm near Boston outside Pietermaritzburg were not qualified firefighters.
This was revealed to the Daily News by one of the survivors. Speaking while holding his crutches, he said they were offered two days of theory training on site and the following day was for practical training, and were told the training was complete so the certificates would be issued later. He said the instructors came to train them on the farm and the trainees were not sure whether it was an accredited training institution or not.
Explaining how his colleagues died in front of him, the traumatised survivor, who could not be named for fear of backlash from the company, said it was a miracle he survived, and that the most painful experience was when he saw his colleagues dying in front of him while he could do nothing to rescue them as the flames had surrounded them.
The man, who had just returned from the hospital when the Daily News arrived at his house, said he believed the reason why the deceased were mostly women was that they could not run like him while carrying 20 litres of water containers on their backs.
He said that when they were called on Sunday to go fight the fire they were given 20 litres to carry on their backs supported by the water tanker truck, which was to give them refills.
“I’m not sure whether we were qualified firefighters, but we got three days of training, and one day for practical training. I have not received a certificate, but was told I would get one,” he said.
His version of the training provided by the company and the equipment they were using was in stark contrast to that normally provided by the firefighting department of eThekwini.
A senior official from the City’s fire department said the standard training to be a firefighter was that first, the recruits must have matric, be physically and medically fit, and do intensive physical training.
He said the training should last at least three months, and that although it depended on the type of fire, but for a burning house, the City would send two fire engines and two fighters with a commander to assess the situation and mobilise other resources if needed.
However, the company, Farmusa Contracting, which is contracted by Sappi, disputed both the employee’s and eThekwini firefighting department’s versions about benefits and training.
Company’s spokesperson Alson Ngesi said their workers were qualified firefighters with a lot of experience. He said they had benefits including pension funds and that the company had assured families of the dead that they would receive all the support they needed.
“All our firefighters were well trained and were experienced,” said Ngesi.
While the survivor was lucky to live to tell of the ordeal, his colleagues Ntombikhona Nxele, Nonsikelelo Zuma, Khethiwe Ngcobo, Ntombifuthi Ngcobo, Mabongi Sishane and Vusi Radula were unlucky.
Their families were also visited by national and provincial government officials including Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa, his deputy Dr Dickson Masemola, KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli, Agriculture MEC Thembeni Madlopha-Mthethwa, uMngeni Municipality mayor Chris Pappas and other officials.
Hlabisa said it was important to leave everything and come to get first-hand information which will assist him and the cabinet when deciding on the request by the province to declare the areas affected by fires as disaster areas.
He and the Agriculture MEC also met farmers and handed over bales for livestock since the grazing land was damaged by fire. A report compiled by the KZN Cogta department revealed that the preliminary cost of the fires in the province was R89 million.
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