Small South African town spent R6.5 million on a fire station that is completely abandoned

A fire station in the township of Matsulu remains non-operational seven years after it was opened, despite a multi-million rand investment.

Matsulu is located in the Mbombela Local Municipality, 41 km east of Mbombela (Nelspruit), bordering the south-eastern corner of the Kruger National Park.

Established in the 1970s, the township was formed to house black Africans who had been removed from white-owned lands, mining areas, and agricultural zones.

Today, the township has an estimated population of around 54,000 people, many of whom work within the township’s nearby mother city of Mbombela.

Mbombela municipal councillor Robert Dlamini has called for an investigation into the current state of the township’s fire station, which he said has been completely abandoned.

The fire station was launched in 2019 at a cost of R6.5 million to serve as a public safety hub for both emergency fire and rescue services, as well as local traffic officers.

However, Dlamini said the building is currently unoccupied and is guarded by a private security company hired by the municipality.

This has left residents and businesses within the township with no other choice but to deal with fire outbreaks themselves.

Meanwhile, the municipality has continued to accrue fruitless and wasteful expenditure in the form of security service fees, water bills, and electricity charges for the empty building.

“Due to neglect and a total lack of repairs and maintenance, the infrastructure is now deteriorating at an alarming rate, leaving it highly vulnerable to vandalism and theft.”

“The consequences of this administrative failure have been devastating for the local community.”

According to Dlamini, at least five houses and one business have been lost due to fires since the fire station was abandoned.

In each instance, he said the residents of Matsulu received no response from the town’s emergency services.

Dlamini said the matter had been raised on multiple occasions before the council and the relevant portfolio committees, but the municipality had ignored it each time.

“Despite constant outcry and formal complaints from affected community members, the municipality has turned a blind eye,” Dlamini said.

“The municipality needs to take accountability and provide a clear timeline for when this station will become fully operational.”