The grand affair was graced by government officials, heads of departments, Disaster and Emergency Management delegates and community members.
Officially opening the day’s proceedings, ward councillor Thoko Radebe thanked the City of Ekurhuleni, saying the community of KwaThema is grateful for this development, as such things are sometimes scarce in the township.
“This shows that our government does take us seriously and the station will help us a lot since we also have some shacks in our areas,” she said.
Watch the Afro Twist ensemble from KwaThema singing the ‘Fireman’s Prayer’:
In his keynote address, Gungubele told the community that such fire stations were not available prior to 1994, but now he can gladly say that various areas on the East Rand, including Daveyton, Etwatwa, Duduza, Tsakane, Tembisa and Palm Ridge, among others, already have them.
“A total of R27-million was allocated to building this station and, in the process, three civil engineering students (Matidze Khuliso Signovia, Teboho Mampuru and Ncedo Jam) from KwaThema, had an opportunity to work there, so they could gain experience,” said Gungubele.
He added that 40 young people had been selected from the city’s data base to work permanently at this fire station.
“It is through such initiatives that the City of Ekurhuleni is ensuring its townships are ready to respond quickly to emergencies that may arise in the communities.
“All we ask is for our people not to vandalise this place or attack our firefighters; protect things that are provided for you by the municipality,” he said.
The mayor emphasised that there is nothing wrong with people marching to be heard, but, he added, they should not destroy government property in the process.
He commented that, as the government, they agree that mistakes may be made with some officials, who may try to steal from them, while others may not want to work, but he assured community members that they have ways of dealing with such individuals so that there can be progress.
“All we ask for is that people don’t look only at our mistakes, but also at the good that we do,” he said.
One of the students who worked at the fire station during the building process, Ncedo Jam, said he was very happy that they were given the opportunity to volunteer their skills, because now they have two years experience, which means that they can finally graduate from the Ekurhuleni East College.
He also encouraged and pleaded with residents not to vandalise the structures, saying when that does happen it affects those who worked on them, future generations and service delivery.
Click here to see more photos of the opening.
