Calls for investigation into deaths of six KZN firefighters

A firefighter who survived a raging blaze that killed six of his colleagues in KwaZulu-Natal last weekend says he received only three days training before being put to work.

The six were employees of Farmusa, an agricultural company contracted to Sappi Forestry, which deployed the team along with several others last Sunday when veld fires fanned by heavy winds got out of control and threatened to engulf farm homes.

Sphesihle Ndlovu, who suffered burns on his legs and back, is haunted by the blood-curdling screams as flames enveloped his colleagues.

“We were all under fire, literally,” said Ndlovu, 29. “While my colleagues were screaming, I was trying to put out the fires which threatened my life. It was difficult, but by some grace I was able to run.”

He said he and his colleagues had minimal training — two days practical and one day of theory learning about fires — which was facilitated by an outside company. He said they did not receive certificates.

Ntombikhona Nxele, 39, Khethiwe Ngcobo, 42, and Nonsikelelo Zuma, 37, were burnt to death in the runaway fires on Stirling Farm on the R617 Boston Road, near Mpophomeni towship outside Pietermaritzburg, last Sunday.

Three others who were badly burnt — Nomfundo Nxele 35, Bongiwe Shishane 41, and Vusi Hudula, 36 — died from their injuries later in hospital. 


“My sister was not trained as a firefighter; she helped out when they had to put out fires,” said Nxele’s brother, Isaac Nxele.

The families of the six workers — some of whom were employed as general workers — and labour union Cosatu are calling for an investigation into the deaths as well as training and working conditions.

Farmusa boss Alcon Ngezi said there had been claims by the Stirling Farm owners that the firefighters had been ill-equipped. But he denied this, as well as claims that they had not been properly trained. 

“None of those workers have less than eight years’ experience in firefighting. They have in the past been fighting fires,” Ngezi said.

Zuma’s sister, Sebenzile Kunene, said they were left with questions after the deaths.

“We are shocked and our hearts are bleeding. When we asked Farmusa if Nonsikelelo had received any medical assistance we were told that she did. But when we got to the Howick mortuary we discovered that was untrue,” she said.

Kunene said they were horrified at the mortuary. “We identified her [Zuma] through some marks she had. She was pretty and light-skinned but her body was badly charred.”

She said that while her sister had worked for the company for more than 11 years and had been trained, they wanted to know what happened.

“We want answers now because we are all in the dark. We are told that poachers caused the fires. We want the full story because those people were not dogs to die in an inhumane way.” 

The Sunday Times has established the workers earned between R3,500 and R8,500 a month. They contributed to the Unemployment Insurance Fund but did not have medical aid coverage.

At a memorial service on Thursday, Farmusa told the families they would employ family members as a commitment of support.

Approached for comment, a Stirling Farm spokesperson denied they had said the firefighters were ill-equipped.

Cosatu provincial secretary Edwin Mkhize said they would work with the labour department to establish whether the employer adhered to health and safety regulations.

“We have established there were strong winds coupled with flames. We want to know whether or not the employers took those circumstances into consideration. We know that there are planes and trucks which are supposed to be enlisted in those situations,” said Mkhize.

Sappi's GM in KwaZulu-Natal, Mark Bernado, hailed the bravery displayed by the fallen firefighters, saying they would not abandon their families. “If you look at the deaths it's clear that something went wrong,” he said. 

Describing the horrific blaze, survivor Ndlovu said he had managed to outrun the fire despite carrying a 20kg water bag on his back to douse the flames, something he believed the women were possibly not able to do.

Ndlovu, from the rural eMaswazini community near Boston, said he managed to reach high ground, from where he got an aerial view of the fire.

“I was shocked to see my colleagues in flames. They were screaming. I saw one curled on the ground. Her dreads were burning and I knew she was dead. The other two were thrashing about in agony, but I couldn’t get to them.”

Ndlovu, who started work at Farmusa three months ago, said they didn’t usually work on Sundays, but were deployed in the emergency.

“Normally on Sundays we rest. But we were told that a fire had been started by poachers to get the animals to run out of the forest. When we got there it was chaos, a vortex of flames driven wild by the wind, out of control. Who knew these actions of suspected poachers would have caused such misery.”

On Tuesday, uMgungundlovu district mayor Mzi Zuma said a probe has been launched into the deaths.