volume 2 edition 6 wofirenewsworkingonfire.org....dec - jan 2013/14 volume 2 edition 6 alleviating...

Dec - Jan 2013/14VOLUME EDitiOn2 6

ALLEVIATING POVERTY • CONSERVING THE ENVIRONMENT • IMPROVING LIVES

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3FAcE to FAcE with our vEry own BEAuty QuEEn

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6GAutEnG 10 yEAr cElEBrAtions

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7

WOFIRE NEWS

hEAlth And sAFEty continuEs to BE A hiGh Priority

owninG A PlAnt nursEry BusinEss is thEir drEAm

Written byliesl Brink Provincial communications officer: western cape

Fire Fighters Ready for Action as Western Cape Launches Summer Fire Season the successful training of fire fighters in woF is testimony to the success of this department of Environmental Affairs’ programme, which has since its inception trained many thousands of young people in becoming professional veld and forest fire fighters.

“Authorities charged with the responsibility to manage fires need to respond swiftly and decisively to suppress unwanted veld fires and the woF fire fighters and aerial resources have been traind to provide this quick response”, said mr ronnie Kasrils, founding father of the working on Fire programme.

Kasrils was speaking in stellenbosch in december 2013, at an event arranged by woF in partnership with the western cape disaster management and Fire Brigade services to launch the start of the western cape summer Fire season. (december to may)

Kasrils confirmed that woF, funded by the department of Environmental Affairs, plays a key role in the provision of both aerial and ground crews during fires.

during the last fire season (december 2012 – may 2013) woF through its ground and aerial resources was instrumental in the suppression of 193 fires and managed to limit the size of the areas burnt to 173 654 hectares.

“the deployment of both ground and aerial resources is used as part of the rapid initial attack on fires and prevents fires from spreading and becoming bigger, as well as supporting extended attacks on large multi-day fires” Kasrils said.

during the upcoming fire season woF will have the following resources available:• Atotalof700fullytrainedandfitfirefighters

based at 24 bases across the western cape.

• woF will also have a total of 26 aircraft on standby (11 helicopters, six fixed wing bombers and nine spotters) based in tulbagh, Porterville, donkerhoek, stellenbosch, Bredasdorp, stilbaai, newlands, Plettenbergbay and Knysna.

“Perhaps the most astounding fact of all is that working on Fire is the top fire fighting force in the world when it comes to representation of women. we are proud of the fact that one third of the working on Fire force is women. no other fire fighting force in the world comes close. that is, surely, something to celebrate and to build on”, Kasrills said.

Manti Mabizela from Qwaqwa won the women’s half-marathon of the Qwaqwa/Golden Gate Half-Marathon.

manti mabizela from Qwaqwa were the women’s winner of the Qwaqwa / Golden Gate half-marathon which was held at the end of november 2013.

mabizela, who is an employee at working on Fire, said: “the race was tough, but i am happy that in the end i was victorious. it is about time that i take marathon running seriously because i have potential.”

this marathon was organised and sponsored by super spar & Golden Gate sAnParks in honour of the late former minister of water Affairs, Professor Kader Asmal. his wife, louise, was

Our very own fire fighter wins prestigious Qwaqwa / Golden Gate Half-Marathon

on hand to hand over the prizes to the various winners.

when wofire news spoke to manti, she said that in the beginning of the race it was tough but as time went on she felt her chest open and she started taking her pace seriously although going to the finishing point was difficult. she is happy now that she has won the race and she is going to start training regularly and to run more marathons.

manti also said that it is through the fitness and training routines of the woF programme that she is able to run well in these races.

Written byBongani tshabalala Provincial communication officer: Free state & northern cape

deon cronjé, the setsing super spar store manager, said the event was successful. he said the turn-out was super considering the fact that it was the first year that the half-marathon was hosted.

“hopefully we can make it an annual institution. we will have a meeting once everyone has settled down and see what we can come up with,” he said.

WoF Training Academy opens Media Centre for Fire Fighters

Written bynothando shezi Provincial communication officer: mpumalanga

the woF training Academy officially opened the media centre at the Academy in nelspruit towards the end of 2013.

david muenda, a store clerk from woF who initiated the idea of the media centre, said that the fire fighters were exposed only in physical training.

“i saw the need of developing a reading programme that will help fire fighters to gain relevant knowledge from sources such as books, newspapers and internet”, said muenda.

he said that the purpose of the initiative is to provide resources that will assist fire fighters in becoming effective users of information, developing a patterns of lifelong learning and foster a love for reading.

Bongani Fakudze, a fire fighter from the Barberton Base said, “this media centre will provide us with information that will sharpen our skills”.

Former Minister Ronnie Kasrils recieves a special gift from Wanda Siximba as MEC Anton Bredell looks on

MEC Anton Bredell (left), Former Minister Ronnie Kasrils (fourth from left) and Head of Western Cape Disaster Management Services Colin Deiner (far right), with WoF fire fighters

working on Fire: An Expanded Public works Programme - alleviating poverty, conserving the environment, improving lives

the death of nelson mandela in december 2013 has reverberated throughout the globe and has touched the hearts and mind of millions of people.

we salute the life and contributions that nelson mandela made and the back cover of this edition is dedicated to madiba and how the various woF Provinces showed their respect during countrywide memorial events.

let us also take this opportunity to extend best wishes for 2014 to all our beneficiaries and management. we are looking forward to engage with you in this new year.

it is our wish that wofire news contributions will grow even bigger in 2014 and there are plans to bring out a digitised version of the newsletter which you will be able to view on your cellular phone.

Have a fantastic 2014.

Eastern cape 15

Free state 1

Gauteng 0

KwaZulu-natal 2

limpopo 0

mpumalanga 0

northern cape 0

north west 0

western cape 65

Total Fires 83

Fire Stats: Where WoF ground and air resources assisted during December 2013 and January 2014As at 30 January 2014

working on Fire is on Facebook working on Fire is on youtube (working on Fire tv news)

Editors Linton Rensburg - Editor in Chief cell: 082 508 0990 Email: [email protected] national communications manager

Liesl Brink - Sub-Editor cell: 071 688 2649Email: [email protected] western cape Provincial communication officer

Matema Gwangwa Cell:0737321344•Fax:0865697419 Email: [email protected] Province: limpopo

Nthabiseng Mokonecell: 073 831 5936Email: [email protected]: Eastern cape

Nompilo Zondicell: 073 775 6465/ 082 570 1572Email: [email protected]: KwaZulu-natal

Parapara Makgahlelacell: 073 871 9350Email: [email protected]: Gauteng

Introduction of Editorial Team:

Contacts for WOFIRE NEWS - Tel: +27 21 797 5356 Cell: +27 82 508 0990 Email: [email protected]

woFirE nEws is published by the working on Fire Programme: communicat ions department.

working on Fire is an Expanded Public works Programme (EPwP), government funded programme which resides within the department of Environmental Affairs.

working on Fire programme is implemented by the FFA Group of companies, a leading supplier of integrated fire management services (iFms) in south Africa.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF ARTICLES AND LETTERS: 10TH of each month. submit your stories to either the communications officers or to [email protected]

MD MessageManaging Director FFA operations Pty ltd trading as working on Fire

Trevor Abrahams

Editorial

Chris Barnarddepartment dispatch & coordination

the death and subsequent outpouring of grief since the passing of nelson mandela has captured the imagination of not only the entire country, but indeed the continent and the world at large.

madiba was the architect of the Expanded Public works Programme of government through which many young people found employment and opportunities to develop life skills. our very own working on Fire programme was also borne out of the EPwP programme and today we join our 5000 plus fire fighters as well as the entire management team of woF in extending our condolences to his wife Graca machel, his children and extended family.

As woF, we have also paid our respects and offered messages of support throughout the country. we have hosted a series of unified commemorative events throughout the country to pay homage and respect to his legacy. through these events we were able to develop a unified woF show of support and respect to the mandela family and his legacy.

let me thank you for all your efforts in this regard.

on another sombre mood we recently lost three fire fighters (two in a Free state accident and one in unnatural circumstances in KwaZulu-natal).

these deaths is a huge loss to the working on Fire family and i want to extend my condolences on behalf of the programme to their families, friends and team members.

in particular the death of our 2 fire fighters in the Free state in a motor vehicle accident whilst they were on their way to do mop up operations at a fire is a huge wake call to us all that we need to remain vigilant and have the highest regard for the safety of our teams on the fire line.

we w i l l t h i s m o n t h h o s t a s e r i e s o f commemorative minutes of silence for these fallen heroes.

Nothando Shezicell: 079 588 5918Email: [email protected]: mpumalanga

WoF TV Unit:Noel MolokoaneProducer woF tvCell:0730876957•Fax:0514512349 Email: [email protected]

Christalene De Kellavideographer/ Field reporter woF tvCell:0827677489•Fax:0865197554 Email: [email protected]

Hitekani MagwedzeEditor/ Anchor woF tvcell: 073 379 3220 Email: [email protected]

Natasha Dos SantosAnchor/ videographer woF tvcell: 0834202159Email: [email protected]

it is with great sadness that we have learned on monday, 20 January 2014, of the deaths of two of our very own fire fighters from the dewetsdorp team in the Free state after an accident. several of our fire fighters were injured. Bongani nkala and Kagiso motlhabane were both killed in this accident and there were 9 injuries with 7 being reported as serious.

the accident happened between reddersburg and dewetsdorp, whilst the team was being transported to a fire. Both Bongani and Kagiso joined woF in 2012, at the dewetsdorp team (70kms from Bloemfontein) and were friendly and held in high regard by the fellow fire fighters. they had very cheerful and talkative personalities. our thoughts and prayers are with the family members of the deceased. we also ask that you keep those injured in your thoughts and prayers.

details about national and provincial memorials and the funeral arrangements will be made available soon.

May Their Departed Souls Rest In Peace.

Kagiso Motlhabane13/04/1987 – 20/01/2014

Obituary

Bongani Nkala05/07/1979 – 20/01/2014

sanele Prince Khwela, eldest son of mrs mamzimela and the late mr Popo Khwela was born in the Zwelibomvu area, KwaZulu-natal.

sanele joint woF as a fire fighter on 28 may 2007. he worked diligently and was then promoted to a crew leader type 2 in october 2011. his shongweni team referred to him as ‘the strong silent type’ for his strong discipline and honest nature.

he is survived by his mother, fiancé, daughter, son, sister and brother.

Lala ngokuthula Nduli Mgabhazi Sicubu kasosiwa, sosiwa ngembiza enkulu ka mawumela!

Sanele Prince Khwela07/08/1984 – 17/01/2014

An Expanded Public works Programme - alleviating poverty, conserving the environment, improving lives: working on Fire Page 03

Written bychristalene de Kella woF video unit: videographer - Field reporter

Four working on Fire teams from Goudveld, crags, George and riversdale were hosted by the southern cape Fire Protection Association annual picnic at Buffelsbay near George on Friday 6 december 2013, in honour of the hard work they put in for the scFPA partners during the past year. this annual scFPA event involves local government representatives, fire departments, woF partners, woF management, FFA Aviation and the miPs (most important Persons), the woF fire fighters.

the scFPA represents over 2,000 members in an area extending from riversdale to tsitsikama and currently hosts 4 of the wc woF teams. the scFPA has also employed three former woF fire fighters as base managers in their association.

the wc woF General manager, shane christians served as the master of ceremonies for the formal part of the programme and called for a minute of silence in memory of former president nelson mandela, who had died the previous evening.

Paul Gerber, the managing director of the scFPA welcomed all the guests on behalf of the scFPA and echoed their appreciation of the efforts of the woF teams over the past year. Each woF team also received a set of t-shirts identified with their base names. dirk smit the scFPA Eastern region Area manager introduced all the scFPA staff to the cheering from the fire fighters. Each team then rendered a singing item.

Southern Cape Fire Protection Association Host Picnic in Honour of WoF Fire Fighters

the woF md, trevor Abrahams gave the keynote address. he acknowledged the excellent relationship between the scFPA and the woF Programme and held the event as an example of the good working relationship between the base partners and the fire fighters. this was evident as the fire fighters cheered on their own base managers when they were introduced as part of the programme. trevor also reminded the audience that, “the expanded public works programme was an initiative started under the mandela government and in a very real sense, the fire fighters were mandela’s children”. he also stated that the future projections are to grow the programme from its 5,000 employees to 7,000 employees in the 7-year contract, which the government was finalizing.

the teams then engaged in a tug-o-war competition, which was won by the Goudveld team. the teams were then issued with their braai meat, rolls, salads, and cool drinks for lunch while the scFPA staff prepared the meal for the invited guests. the fire fighters spent the afternoon swimming and relaxing for the rest of the afternoon after lunch and reported enjoying themselves tremendously.

this was certainly an event, which reflects the ideal of the relationship, which woF wants to develop with all its partnerships.

Regional Managers completes ICS Division Supervisor Course

21 regional managers completed the ics division supervisor course at the working on Fire Academy in nelspruit in december 2013.

the course will help the regional managers to manage more than one team of fire fighters and integrate into an incident command system.

walter Khoza, regional manager of the mpumalanga Escarpment region, told woF news that the course gave him the relevant skills of managing his teams.

“rm’s must lead by example by participating in all activities and showing that they can still do what fire fighters are expected to do.


After i attended this course i will implement everything that i have gained during the course”, said Khoza.

sam nkosi, regional manager of the high veld north region, said it was a challenging course.

“At the end of the course i realised that each and every bit of information that they gave us is crucial to our proper functioning as regional managers”, said nkosi.

Face to Face with our very own Beauty Queenworking on Fire news Anchor and a Public relations student at Boston college, natasha dos santos (21) from Kanyamazane near nelspruit has been nominated to the finals of the miss mpumalanga 2014 Beauty Pageant.

the following is an interview conducted with her by woF news.

Why do you want to be Miss Mpumalanga?

Being miss mpumalanga has been a lifelong dream but besides that i’m truly passionate about the development of youth from the disadvantaged communities. i want to inspire, motivate, and positively influence them.

Who are your role models?

my mother has been my greatest inspiration. she has been a true example of a go-getter and that no problem is unconquerable in this life.

Tell us more about yourself and your family?

i come from a family of four, with a single mother and two siblings. my mother is unemployed, so when i passed my matric in 2011 i had no plans and hoped for a university life and besides that i just saw that a lot of people still get to be successful without going to university. since i joined woF my life has taken on a positive direction and shape and i want to continue to inspire young people to become go-getters themselves.

What are the challenges that faces the youth around your community and how are you going to solve it?

in most cases i find the youth getting involved

in all kinds of violence including rape, killing and house breaking. i think by engaging them into sports and giving them motivational talks once in a while will help them. they need motivational talks that can inspire them to become better people.


Natasha Dos Santos poised for great success

Fire fighters entertaining guests with song and dance

Pulling hard in tug-of-war competition


“Limpopo raises voices”“we have been victims for too long and it’s about time that we raise our voices to fight abuse of women and children” said Johanna ingrid makaneta the social development Buddy at the mookgophong base in limpopo.

Each and ever y year the south Afr ican government embarks on a campaign to alert people on hiv/Aids and to raise awareness on the abuse of women and children. the 16 days of Activism for no violence Against women and children is an international campaign as a plea to society to stop the abuse of women and children.

michael ramatsea, the social development officer for limpopo, joined hands with fire fighters from various bases in the province to embark on this campaign.

At bases they exhibited information pamphlets about the negative impact of abusing women and children in our communities.

the mookgophong base took a different angle with the help of their sdo buddy ms ingrid

makaneta. they embarked on a door to door campaign doing the tB screening and hiv/Aids testing, with the department of health and local home base caregivers. they also used this opportunity to create awareness about the 16 days of Activism Against women and children. they were doing this campaign in conjunction with sAPs, correctional services, social development and victim support centres.

WoF supports DEA’s job creation initiative

“A very large component of woF is about disaster management that surrounds the maintenance of the natural fire regimes” said dr christo marais the chief director of natural resource management during the demonstration by the lephalale team at the event. the team sealed the day with a drill and melodious songs for the audience.

Loads of Fun at the Limpopo 10 Year Celebrations twenty one working on Fire teams enjoyed the ten year celebration camp for the programme‘s existence in four different regions in the province. this was the continuation of the main event that was held at Bloemfontein at Black mountain resort where the first fifty fire fighters to be employed in limpopo went and represented the province.

th e be nef ic iar ies were t reated to fun games, dance, and live performances by

management, beauty contests as well as choral music from various teams. “when i get back to the base i will polish up my dance moves in order to be on the same league as our General manager” said tonic mahlare from nebo base after the nice dance performance by mr sam maepa. tonic was also crowned mr woF limpopo East at the event. the event was ended off with a braai for the beneficiaries on the last day.

Written bymatema Gwangwa media & community liaison officer: limpopo

the medupi leadership initiative (mli) is a project that has been established to create jobs for the people who will be retrenched at the medupi Power station.

the department of Environmental Affairs in conjunction with the medupi leadership initiative hosted an open day at shongwane village in the lephalale area. working on Fire was amongst the participants that were invited to come and do a demonstration on how woF extinguishes fires.

Eddy rapudi joined working on Fire as a new recruit in Krugersdorp base team unfit, but today he is fully fit.

’’when i was recruited the doctor told me that i was under weight, i needed to eat more food that contained proteins. naturally i do not like eating’’ he shared his experiences.

‘’i am fully fit now. i passed fitness test’’ he proudly said. Eddy rapudi holds a certificate in sales management from cardinal rand Academy in sandton.

‘’i have just successfully completed an induction courses that was held at the roodeplaat youth centre in Pretoria that lasted for 13 days’’ he said.

he stated that the course was intensive and taught him discipline, team work and integrated fire management.

‘’Food was plenty during the training camp in roodeplaat. At least i was able to gain enough kilograms’’ he said jokingly.

Written byParapara makgahlela Provincial communication officer: Gauteng

‘’i focused alot on personal training and it paid off’’ he said. i will be going to nelspruit training Academy for the 25 day training and i do not know what to expect from the training camp. however, i know that i am ready for this training camp’’ he said.

WoF hosts Communications Workshop with Environmental Affairs

working on Fire in conjunction with the department of Environmental Affairs held a strategic communications workshop in midrand recently.

the workshop was attended by both working on Fire’s communications cluster and the department’s communications branch.

chief director of communication for the department of Environmental Affairs, Albi modise, said in his presentation that the focus of his department this year is on the 20 years of democracy celebrations in south Africa.

‘’we need to acknowledge that working on Fire is our programme. this programme is doing an impressive work to safe our environment. we need to cement our relationship with all environmental programmes that fall within our authority’’ said modise.

he commended working on Fire for the media coverage it received in the past 12 months.

managing director of working on Fire trevor Abrahams said that the programme has done

extremely well to improve its newsletter and video unit productions.

he encouraged staff to continue to work hard and stick to work values.

yvette Francis, communications Executive for the programme, said that the woF communications strategy needed to be aligned with the department’s strategy.

’’this is one area we need to strengthen our relationship with the department of Environmental Affairs’’ she pointed out.

the workshop also explored solutions to address the distribution challenges the programme is faced with. one of the possible solutions is using “whats’App” and “mixit” as a platform to send multimedia content to beneficiaries.


WoF MD Trevor Abrahams, Zolile Nqayi, Director: Communications DEA, Albie Modise Chief Director: Communications and Coenie Lamprecht Director: Corporate Services FFA Holdings

Eddie Rapudi

Door to Door Campaign

WoF fire fighters shows how to extinguish veld fires

Guests looking on to fire fighters in action

WoF helped me to become fully fit and healthy - Eddie Rapudi (Krugersdorp Base)


Fire fighters wishes WoF another fruitful decade of excellence in service delivery

working on Fire (woF) has provided fire fighters with many skills that would last forever.

woF news spoke to hedrick Bhanda, a type 1 crew leader, during the provincial 10th year celebration of working on Fire that took place in Badplaas near mbombela on the 3 december 2013.

“As fire fighters we wish that the programme could exist for another 10 years and beyond to keep on developing our skills”, said Bhanda.

the 10 year celebrations in mpumalanga also took place in Graskop on the 6 december 2013.

during the celebrations beneficiaries were doing numerous activities including dancing, drilling, push ups, sit ups and balloon game competitions.

Bhanda from the nelspruit Base joined woF in 2003 and he said it was his dream to become a fire fighter.

Bhanda has First Aid, health and safety, chainsaw, type 1 and type 2 crew leader certificates that he received inside the organisation.

Bongani Fakudze, a fire fighter from the Barberton Base said he would not be having a relevant certificate of fire fighting if the organisation did not give him an opportunity.

“i wish that woF would continue to alleviate poverty and create work opportunities for future generations “,said Fakudze.

the mpumalanga General manager, martin Bolton, encouraged fire fighters to carry on doing the good work.

“woF is appreciating all beneficiaries who joined the organisation in 2003 and the partners who helped the organisation to reach its goal”, said Bolton.


Gauteng 10 Year Celebrations

Regional Manager wins push ups competition

General manager of working on Fire in Gauteng told the fire fighters to have fun and enjoy themselves during the 10th year Provincial celebrations that was held at the roodeplaat youth centre, East of Pretoria.

All the 12 teams of the Gauteng Province were brought to one place to celebrate the 10 year Anniversary of the working on Fire Programme.

‘’ we had a good time here in roodeplaat because we were able to meet each other as a province’’ said mpho mokgosi.

she said that the mood was good at the roodeplaat youth centre because, they had lot of time to socialise as fire fighters.

‘’it’s long since we were brought under one roof as a province. today‘s event brought us together. that is good for team building spirit’’ she said.

Paul Baloyi crew leader at the roodeplaat team said that they enjoyed the braai meat and the nice relaxed atmosphere.

however, the celebrations also had drilling, parades, tug of war, drama and choir singing activities.

General manager Avhasei maswime said that discipline was needed to be maintained while having a good celebration moment. he

the regional manager of lEFPA Jonas Zandamela (29) won the push ups competition during the 10th year celebration that took place in Graskop near mbombela on the 6 december 2013.

Zandamela was competing with crew leaders, regional managers and Ground operational manager.

he told the woF news that he did not quit exercising as he was appointed as a regional manager.

“i am fit and i do exercises everyday to keep my body healthy and ready for any emergency call”, said Zandamela.

Zandamela said he won push ups competition during training camps for four times, from 2008-2011.

“it is the fifth time winning the competition; i really enjoy it because it makes me see how fit i am”.

“my secret is that i’m patient and i don’t give up easily because i know very well that everybody is feeling pain“, he said.

he encourages all regional managers and crew leaders to always become a role model for fire fighters.

Everything is possible for female fire fighters

“Everything is possible for all female fire fighters, but they must dedicate themselves to be fit”, said fire fighter noria sibande who won the sit ups competition.

the sit ups competition took place in Graskop on the 6 december during the regional 10 year celebrations.

noria sibande (25) from lEFPA Base also won the female 2.4 km in thaba nchu at the national 10 year celebrations in november 2013.

she told the woF news that before, she was scared to be involved in competitions.

“i decided that exercising every day would stop the fear of competing with other fire fighters. Everyday when i wake up i do exercises that will keep me fit”, said sibande.

she encourages all female fire fighters to put exercise in their daily routine.

“Practice makes perfect”, she concluded.

Fire Awareness in West Coast Community


presented the photographs of teams to the base partners.

some of the veteran fire fighters in the province were acknowledged for the pivotal role they had played in the working on Fire programme.

’’we salute the perseverance of these long serving fire fighters’’ said the general manager. he further said that their participation cannot be easily ignored.


on the 6th december 2013, working on Fire, together with the department of social development and Fire and rescue of the west coast district municipality in vredenburg took to the streets to raise fire awareness within the community.

A march was undertaken throughout the town which had the support of the traffic department and police forum.

this west coast community welcomed this

intervention as they experienced the devastation of wildfires during the last fire season.

this event ended at the vredenburg sports Ground where the community attended a workshop and a live fire demonstration.

Written byrayganah rhoda community Fire Awareness officer: western cape

Fire fighters standing on parade at Mpumalanga 10 Year Celebrations

Ladies busy with sit up competition

Happy faces at 10 Year Celebrations

WoF and West Coast District Municipality fire fighters during Fire Awareness Campaign


Gauteng Structural Fire Fighters Ready to Serve

valley mahlangu and Johannes moreba are some of the woF structural Fire Fighters in Gauteng. they are based at the midvaal Emergency services centre, south of Johannesburg.

‘’our work is difficult to do because you rescue people from road carnages and remove burnt bodies from an accident scene. you do not take any drugs to help stabilise your mind’’ said the enthusiastic fire fighters.

valley said that he experienced traumas after visiting horrendous scenes.

Johannes moreba said that his conscious is no longer working overtime and that he sleeps without any problems or stress of some sort. he further said that he is used to work with horrible scenes of carnages and burnt houses.

‘’i actually enjoy my work here at the emergency services as a structural fire fighter’’ he said.

they said that emergency service is different from the veld and forest fire fighting.

‘’we sometimes miss the veld and forest fire fighting because here we do day and night shifts but at least we get day off’’ joked valley mahlangu.

‘’working on Fire taught us how to handle snakes because we need to rescue them. Even here in the emergency services we still care for nature. we don’t kill snakes, we protect them’’ said valley mahlangu

he emphasized that discipline and fitness are important in the emergency services.


Word of motivation from the first male Regional Manager in Eastern Cape

Stutterheim Team ready for 2014the stutterheim team is one of the best teams that works very hard in the Eastern cape. Fire fighters at this base says that they are ready for 2014 and they are planning to be more hard working this year in fighting fires, preventing fires and doing educational fire awareness in schools. one of the crew leaders in that base, siyabonga varasha said that his team has learnt a lot when fighting fires during 2013 fire season so they will use that experience they got to be better in the 2014 fire season. varasha also said the skills they get from woF assists them a lot in their daily duties as fire fighters, so their teams is planning to do their best this year through hard work.

mxoli cabela the regional manager at the Garden route region started as a fire fighter in may 2004 at the stutterheim Base where they had a very powerful team. they were one of the best teams in south Africa. his hard work and good leadership skills made him to be chosen for a crew leader course where he passed and became a crew leader. i loved my work and i lead by example, that’s why i ended up being the first male regional manager in the Eastern cape, said cabela. he continued by saying in those times life was difficult but we succeeded through supporting each other and working as a team. he said all this words by the time he addressed his teams when they opened for 2014 also giving words of motivation and guidance. cabela advised his crew members never to quit in hard times, and never to let each other down but to be there for each other and work as a team all the times. his region is still busy as some areas are still having fires.

Written bynthabiseng mokone Provincial communication officer: Eastern cape

Written bynthabiseng mokone Provincial communication officer: Eastern cape

Health and Safety continues to be a high priority

What does Health and Safety or OHS do to help ensure the health and safety of everyone that works in WoF Operations?

one important role that ohs serves is that it conducts hazard and risk assessments of all the work activities that are performed by all the employees in working on Fire. it is a legal requirement for every employer to do this, so ohs helps ensure that woF as an employer complies with the law.

From these hazard and risk assessments, all those activities that have hazards that have a hiGh risk of affecting people’s health or, from the safety aspect, of causing injuries are identified.

For each of the high risk work activities identified, ohs develop and put in place specific control measures that reduce and minimize the risk that the hazards have of affecting everyone’s health and safety.

these control measures, with which you are no doubt familiar, can for example include specific or special training, written safe work procedures, inspection procedures and checklists and planned job observations.

lastly, in addition to the control measures, ohs recommend the necessary type of PPE – personal protective equipment that is required to further reduce the possible impact of the hazards in the event that an incident occurs.

once the approved control measures and ppe requirements have been put in place, the responsibility for health and safety then passes from ohs to all levels of management (from Province General managers to crew leaders) and every member of the crew/team.

it is the responsibility of management to ensure that every person in woF operations always abides by the procedures and are provided with, and use, the PPE with which has been recommended.

likewise it is the responsibility of every person in woF operations to follow the procedures and use the PPE with which they have been provided, for both their own safety and protection, as well as that of their fellow workers.

thus as we start the new year, we ask for your co-operation and support in working with us in ohs, by fulfilling your role to ensure that ours is a healthy and safe working environment of everyone in the woF programme.

Article supplied by Frank Roberts - Occupational Health and Safety

Goudveld Bomber and Helitac Teams are on standby and excited about the Airtractor Bomber

WoF Structural Fire Fighters based at the Midvaal Emergency Services

Stutterheim Team clearing alien vegetation

Mxoli Cabela


Owning a Plant Nursery Business is their dream

Run, stay away from booze and live longer

if you have a green thumb, some space, and a source of water, it is possible to start a plant nursery business, said fire fighter thulani magagula from the sterkspruit Base near lydenberg.

thulani magagula (22) and Angelina seleka (30) told woF news that they developed their love for plants when they joined working on Fire in 2011.

magagula said that during their spare time at the Base, he and his colleague collects different types of flowers and they even started a small nursery.

“initially i encouraged the community around my village to stop causing unnecessary veld fires to protect plants”, said thulani.

“now our flowers are still small and once they

grow big enough we will sell them”, he said.

he furthered said that they are still searching for the relevant information that would make their business boom.

Angelina seleka added that her dream is to become an entrepreneur.

“People must know that plants give us oxygen and they need our hands in order to grow up properly”, said seleka.

she said a nursery business does not only bring in money but it also increases the number of crucial plants.

Written bynothando shezi Provincial communication officer: mpumalanga Thulani Magagula and Angeline Seleka fire fighters in their nursery

Provincial driver John Mashaba in full flight

For most people, running 2,4 km is very difficult.

But John mashaba (61), a working on Fire Provincial driver from Bushbuckridge in mpumalanga, prefers to run a 2.4 km with fire fighters at the nelspruit Base every morning.

“i will grow old if i get lazy”, said mashaba.

he is not scared to compete with fire fighters.

mashaba can even do 100 push ups within two minutes and then transport fire fighters and work equipment to different places across the province.

But for mashaba hard work and running is part of his life.

mashaba told woF news, “i have been running since my childhood. my body aches if i get up a minute after 5am and hurts when i do nothing”.

“since i joined in 2010, working on Fire really made a difference in my fitness because they don’t isolate me when i want to exercise with fire fighters at the Base, even fire fighters they do respect me and they know very well that they cannot compete with me in 2,4 km”, said mashaba.

he added that all elders in the organisation must do exercises and keep their body healthier.

mashaba’s tips for healthy living: ”Pour your booze down the drain and not down the throat, eat vegetables, exercise and get up when the sun comes up”.

hendrik Banda, type 1 crew leader at the nelspruit Base, said mashaba is very strong


and other fire fighters don’t want to compete with him.

“Every morning he joins my team and exercises with them”, said Banda.

Enterprise Development Funding Statistics and Figures

Enterprise development for 2013

target Actual varies Percentages

Enterprise development training

200 212 +12 106 %

Business ready for funding/opening

50 79 +29 158%

congratulations to all 218 entrepreneurs that have been through the program and 79 applications made. last year was a pronounced success, greater things are promised during 2014. in appreciation, we thank entrepreneurs, our sponsors, corporates and the south African Government.

The Importance of Planning starting yet another year brings about a new set of problems and challenges. one find one self automatically, by default, wanting to create a list of items that one want to achieve; or seeing that the turn of the year brings about a new opportunity to accomplishment. more pressure is placed onto us because everyone around is our teacher. Following this pressure we create a list of things. so what happened to your list from last year? in most cases, it serves as nothing but a cheap art work or a ‘’make feel good’’ list.

so how does this list serve us and why does it make a difference; or can it make any difference? the answer is yEs, because for years i have being doing this.

when we write down our goals, we schedule it and bring out meaning to it. it is as if one would schedule a holiday or a meeting. having goals in your head, that’s all it is: a goal in your head. however, the second you write it down, scheduling it to be achieved within a specific timeframe, brings out means and urgency towards those goals. it will serve to remind you every day and after a few weeks or months your family members start asking you questions about how far you are towards achieving them or what you are doing about achieving this. they are our best motivators.

Be sure to read our February edition where we will speak in detail about personal planning.

in 2014 south Africa will celebrate 20 years of freedom and democracy. this momentous occasion presents an opportunity for us to reflect on how our freedom and democracy were achieved; the progress we have made the past 20 years; and on how south Africans will work together to implement vision 2030.

the department of Environmental Affairs funded working on Fire Programme is now in its 11th year of existence. we will also reflect how woF has, over these 11 years, changed the lives of thousands of beneficiaries, the contribution towards saving the environment and its contribution towards poverty alleviation and job creation.

your contributions, your stories on how woF has changed your lives, will also be told.

20 Years of Freedom

Dr. Vijay Bahadur with fire fighters who participated in the Enterprise Development Workshops


WoF - Nelson Mandela Remembrance Page

Southern Cape Madiba Tribute

Eastern Cape fire fighters taking flowers to Madiba’s Qunu home

False Bay fire fighters minute of silence in tribute to Madiba

KZN pays tribute to Madiba at Howick where he was captured in 1962

Limpopo teams march for Madiba Gauteng teams at Madiba’s Houghton House

Mpumalanga honouring Madiba

Free State at Madiba statue in Bloemfontein

Western Cape holds minute of silence for Madiba

Limpopo honours Madiba

Limpopo singing National Anthem

Marching in honour of Madiba

WoF Provincial Offices participated in various Commemorative events throughout the country

volume 2 edition 6 wofirenewsworkingonfire.org....dec - jan 2013/14 volume 2 edition 6 alleviating...

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