Online Reporter
Raymond Jaravaza, [email protected]
SIX Rural District Councils (RDCs) that received fire tenders from the Government — part of the 141 fire engines delivered to local authorities — are now fully equipped to respond effectively to emergencies, following the graduation of 35 recruit firefighters at Famona Fire Station in Bulawayo on Wednesday.
The recruit firefighters were drawn from Tsholotsho, Hwange, Binga, Matobo, Insiza and Kusile local authorities.
Comprising 26 energetic young men and nine women, the recruits were trained by the Bulawayo Fire Brigade, which has earned a reputation as a centre of excellence in fire-fighting and emergency response.
Private companies, RDCs, and local municipalities regularly send their personnel to train with the Bulawayo Fire Brigade. This marks the first time under the Second Republic that RDCs have received fire tenders and have been capacitated to manage fires and related emergencies independently, without relying on urban fire departments such as Bulawayo’s.
Previously, RDCs like Tsholotsho had to send distress calls to Bulawayo to combat fires, despite being over 120 kilometres away and accessible only via severely damaged roads.
The graduation ceremony was attended by the Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Daniel Garwe, who was the guest of honour, along with Bulawayo Province Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Judith Ncube, Bulawayo Deputy Mayor Councillor Edwin Ndlovu, and family members and friends of the graduating firefighters.
In his address, Minister Garwe said the ceremony comes at a time when the Government is actively capacitating RDCs to prevent a recurrence of devastating fire incidents that have caused grief and destruction across communities.
He cited several tragic examples, including the Esigodini fire disaster of October 2022, which claimed 10 lives as people attempted to extinguish a veld fire using rudimentary methods, the Save the Nation Market fire in Thorngrove in June 2025, and the Mbare Traders Market fires in Harare in August and October this year.
“Government acknowledges the numerous fire incidents occurring in our communities, markets, industries, agricultural fields, plantations and national parks. Each year, households, companies and institutions suffer losses of unimaginable value due to fire outbreaks, while veld fires continue to ravage hectares of forest, destroying ecosystems and impacting the tourism sector.”
”Given the rising number of fire incidents, Government deemed it necessary to procure fire tenders to manage fire hazards within local authority areas. A total of 131 fire tenders have been procured for distribution to local authorities and strategic Government departments. To date, 114 have been delivered,” said Minister Garwe.
Minister Garwe confirmed that each of the RDCs whose firefighters graduated on Wednesday has received at least one fire tender.
“Fire is a potential hazard in any locality, and fire-fighting is therefore a critical component of Disaster Risk Management,” he said.
He commended the Bulawayo Fire Brigade instructors for successfully training the recruits.
Bulawayo Deputy Mayor Councillor Edwin Ndlovu said the Ministry had engaged the Bulawayo Fire Brigade to train firefighters from RDCs in the southern region of the country.
“The training complements Central Government’s efforts, which equipped these councils with fire-fighting equipment. While devolution funds were used to purchase the fire tenders, it was noted that RDCs lacked the necessary skills to operate the equipment and respond to fire emergencies. The Minister placed his trust in our capacity to train these firefighters, and today we witness the culmination of that partnership through this pass-out parade,” said Clr Ndlovu.
Clr Ndlovu added that training RDC firefighters would significantly ease the burden on the Bulawayo Fire Brigade, which had previously been expected to respond to emergencies over 100 kilometres away.
“These firefighters will now be deployed to their respective rural districts, taking with them the city’s values and a culture of hard work and commitment,” he said.
Best graduating recruit firefighter, Zithelo Moyo, who received a trophy for emerging top of the 2025 class, said he was honoured to be part of the first fire-fighting team for Insiza District.
“Growing up, I always wanted to be a firefighter, but I never imagined that instead of joining the Bulawayo Fire Brigade, I would serve my own district in Insiza.
“I’m proud to be among the young men and women who will be protecting lives and property in our district. Six of us from Insiza were trained here in Bulawayo and we all passed,” said Moyo.
Bongani Ndlovu