Courage Bushe
Government continues to walk the talk on its efforts to empower local authorities, with Tongogara Rural District Council receiving a fire tender purchased by government from Belarus.
Tongogara Rural District Council received a fire tender from government under the Belarus facility, a development set to help council to cope with fire incidents.
“This equipment is a critical tool in the fight against veld fires. There are always fire outbreaks where some accidents occur and lives are lost because there will be no immediate assistance,” said a firefighter.
“There was nothing we could do if a huge fire incident occurred because it was dangerous to try to put it out, but with this fire tender, we can easily overcome that obstacle,” added another fire fighter.
Tongogara Rural District Council chief executive officer Engineer Liberty Ncube expressed gratitude to government.
“As the Tongogara RDC, we are one of the recipients of the fire tenders procured by the government, and we are grateful to the central government for this. This will go a long way
in enhancing our capacity response to emergency services. We are there to ensure public safety through providing emergency services to the communities that we serve,” he said.
Government says the provision of the fire tender marks a significant step in its commitment to capacitating local authorities, ultimately improving service delivery.
“It is my hope that this fire tender will facilitate quick response to fire and road traffic accidents in line with broader civil protection interventions. We want to thank President
Emerson Mnangagwa for facilitating the Belarus fire tenders deal and the devolution programme,” said Midlands Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Honourable Owen Ncube.
Meanwhile, in an attempt to improve service delivery in the district, the Rural District Council has also purchased a 28 tonne truck using council funds.
