adminTimoth Makohliso Midlands Reporter
Kwekwe City Council has one small fire engine meant to ferry first aid water to attend to fire incidents, the mayor Councillor Matenda Madzoke has said. He said the local authority can only watch helplessly as fires gut properties as the city does not have fire tenders. The mayor said they were finding it difficult to deal with fire incidents a move he said was riling residents.
“We don’t have fire tenders in Kwekwe and as a result we only use a small engine meant for first aid purposes. The council had been using two obsolete fire engines which were always down as they needed a lot of money for repairs. Residents have been complaining saying we’re failing to do our job. There are times when we sometimes watch people’s property being gutted by fire,” said Clr Madzoke.
He said the city was facing financial challenges and the prospects of acquiring a new fire engine were slim.
Clr Madzoke said he has since engaged the private sector in a bid to address the situation.
“We’ve since engaged the private sector as a way of trying to find answers to our problems. We hope the private sector and individuals we approached will respond positively to this worthy cause,” he said.
Clr Madzoke said for the past three years they have been holding talks with Operation Florien, a UK based organisation that has donated fire tenders to Harare, Bulawayo and Gweru city councils.
He said the local authority was owed about $25 million by residents and companies that include New Zimsteel.
“As a result, service delivery has been greatly compromised. We need cash injection to boost service delivery,” said Clr Madzoke.
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