Zimpapers Logo

Michael Magoronga, Midlands Correspondent
Kwekwe City Council has been operating without a fire tender after its only tender broke down, a situation which is exposing residents’ properties to a huge risk of being destroyed by fires.

The situation has left the city relying on a tender owned by ferrochrome producer, Zimasco.

But the Zimasco fire tender is not always readily available, further worsening the situation.

Responding to councillors’ queries over the matter during a full council meeting recently, Acting Director of Central Administration, Mr Athanas Chidzurira said:

“It is true we are having a challenge of a fire tender but it is a matter that we are attending to as a matter of urgency. We have two possible solutions that we can use to address the problem.

“Firstly, we can use a short-term solution of getting the broken-down fire tender repaired. We have made inquiries and we have information that there are people in Bulawayo who are capable of fixing the tender,” he said.

The second solution, which is a long-term solution, according to Mr Chidzurira, would be to purchase a new fire tender.

“The second solution which we are already implementing is for us to purchase a new fire tender. Inquiries have since been made and I can assure you that the issue is being addressed. So, what it means is that while we wait to purchase a new one, we will get the old one repaired” said Mr Chidzurira.

A number of buildings in Kwekwe have been razed down by fire with most of them unattended either because council fails to react due to incapacitation or that the Zimasco fire tender will be busy somewhere else.

Local Government Minister July Moyo took the local authority to task after fire razed down a medical staffers’ residence at Kwekwe General Hospital last year.

The local authority reportedly failed to react swiftly to the fire, an incident which led the minister to ask the local authority to write a report.

A council storeroom later caught fire and council failed to turn up.

A house in Msasa Park also caught fire due to an electric fault and Zimasco came to the rescue.

A supermarket in Mbizo 1 extension was reduced to ashes by a fire and neither council nor Zimasco attended the scene.