Inside the life of the firefighters battling SA’s deadliest wildfires

Why would you do a job where something as basic as a change of wind direction could cost you your life?

That’s a question which goes through my mind as I watch the distant swirling flames and smoke across the Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve near Heidelberg and the firefighters from Working on Fire who are out there trying to put out the flames.

Today’s team leader is 38-year-old William Malebatsa who, like the 25 firefighters on the team, is all too aware of the recent death of six firefighters who died while trying to quell the deadly inferno that engulfed the Boston area west of Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal.

Dangerous for wildfire firefighters to face blaze without being mentally prepared

“As a team leader sometimes, it gets hard because if the team members learn about those deaths in KZN. I have to sit down with the members and motivate them and keep their spirits high.

“It is part of my job to ensure the well-being of the members. Every morning, I make sure that I speak to one of them and find out whether they have family problems. It is dangerous for a fighter to face the blaze while he is not mentally prepared.”

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Malebatsa said he signed up with the programme 11 years ago because he was unemployed.

“I needed to put food on the table. This is a very dangerous job, so to stay alive and minimise the chances of being injured, firefighters must always adhere to the law, regulations and procedures when executing duties.”

Malebatsa, who was born in Carletonville on the West Rand, is proud of being one of the firefighters who have assisted in putting out deadly raging blazes in SA and internationally.

Difference between Canadian and SA firefighters

He is part of the team that is occasionally dispatched to fight fires in Canada and has been there several times.

“The difference between being a firefighter in South Africa and those in Canada is because at home we fight direct flames while on that side they deal with underground fires. Sometimes you find trees burning from the roots and when you see smoke pouring out of the holes near the tree you know you need to act.”

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Although the job is hard and dangerous, Malebatsa has several women in his team, whom he says are equal to any task.

One of the female firefighters, Delisiwe Mbatha, from Ulundi in KwaZulu-Natal, has first aid knowledge and assists firefighters when they are trapped inside burning buildings or injured on duty.

Mbatha says even though the job is dangerous, she is proud to be part of a team saving wild animals and people from flames.

‘I wanted to do this since I was young’

“My job is serious and dangerous but I enjoy it because I wanted to do this since I was young. I developed an interest when I saw the firefighters saving lives in the news and told myself that one day I would be like them.

“I have been working on the game reserve since 2019. I went to Canada last year where we were protecting houses from underground fires. I am a first aider. It is my job to save and treat injured members.”

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Working on Fire general manager Stephen Boyes says the team has already fought about 200 fires.

Working on Fire has 288 firefighters deployed across Gauteng to tackle wildfires.

At Suikerbosrand, one of the managers is using his camera-fitted drone to monitor firefighters on top of the mountain, trying to prevent the fire from destroying the entire reserve.

Use of drones can help save the lives of firefighters if the wind suddenly blows the inferno towards them.