Judges found no legal basis to ban volunteer firefighting associations.
The City of Tshwane took on a volunteer firefighting association and got burned in the High Court in Pretoria.
The court on Wednesday ruled in favour of the Sinoville Firefighting Association (SFA) and ordered the city to pay the costs.
The city had accused the volunteer firefighting service of operating illegally, interfering with the city’s command and control structures during emergency incidents, compromising incident scene management and operating without public accountability.
The high court dismissed the city’s case.
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AfriForum disaster management specialist Tarien Cooks said AfriForum will write to the city to request that all previous communications discouraging the city’s fire brigades from working with organisations such as the SFA be withdrawn, after its legal action to have private firefighting services declared illegal failed.
Cooks said the court found the rendering of firefighting services by businesses to their clients and by volunteers affiliated with associations is not prohibited by legislation; however, private firefighting services may not interfere with the fire brigade’s powers granted by the Fire Services Act.
“This decision is in the interest of all South Africans. Where vital municipal services such as firefighting fall short, it is volunteers, private businesses and community organisations that step up. Instead of working against each other, we should join hands.”
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