Gauteng has extreme shortage of fire trucks: 'It's not looking good' – Disaster Management Centre

Bongani Bingwa interviews Tshepo Motlhale of the Gauteng Disaster Management Centre.

Listen below:

Gauteng’s three metro municipalities are facing a severe shortage of fire trucks and firefighters.

The City of Johannesburg, for example, is operating with only half of the fire engines required to handle emergency responses, according to reports.

Motlhale expresses concern about the state of fire services in the province, saying that 'it is not looking good'.

However, he reassures that steps are being taken to address the issue, such as repairing and maintaining the fire service fleet, which has affected the overall readiness and deployment of fire engines across Gauteng.

Currently, the province has 92 fire trucks, with only 57 of them in working condition.

"We still have a shortage of around 30."

- Tshepo Motlhale, Gauteng Disaster Management Centre

There are 4,642 firefighters, leaving a gap of 2,104 positions.

International best practice is a firefighter for every 1,000 people, meaning Gauteng should have around 15,000 firefighters.

Motlhale attributes the province's failure to meet these standards to a lack of funding, which has hindered efforts to recruit and maintain adequate personnel and equipment.

"We still have a serious challenge meeting those standards, and it's not only in Gauteng. Across the country, we have a challenge meeting the standards."

- Tshepo Motlhale, Gauteng Disaster Management Centre

Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the interview.