Nkandla: Just weeks after announcing plans to build the Nkandla Disaster Management Centre, KwaZulu-Natal Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) MEC, Thulasizwe Buthelezi, has moved swiftly to prepare for the multimillion-rand project. As part of the Nkandla Integrated Service Delivery Programme, Buthelezi, together with Nkandla Municipality Mayor, Nonhlanhla Nzuza, recently conducted a visit to the site earmarked for the centre’s construction.

According to South African Government News Agency, the Nkandla Municipality identified the site to address the area’s growing vulnerability to fire-related disasters. Nkandla and its surrounding areas are highly prone to fire disasters, due to dense bushveld and forestry. For years, residents and businesses, particularly in forestry and farming, have suffered significant financial losses due to wildfires.

In response, the provincial government has allocated over R14 million for the construction of the Nkandla Disaster Management Centre. With the site already identified, planning and design work by consultants is already underway, with construction scheduled to commence in June. Buthelezi said the project is a direct response to the ongoing challenges faced by the communities from natural disasters.

Buthelezi also announced that local youth will benefit from the project by receiving firefighter training, which will create real work opportunities for the community. ‘King Cetshwayo District Municipality has just received a donation of fire engines from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment. We will request that some of these fire engines be stationed here in Nkandla to assist local communities and businesses. Once the project is complete, we want young people from this area to be trained as firefighters. As a department, we are planning to commence construction in June. Our team will work closely with the municipality to ensure the land is suitable for the structure and that it can accommodate all the required resources for the Disaster Management Centre, such as fire engines,’ Buthelezi said.

Nzuza expressed her appreciation to the department and committed that the municipality will finalise the necessary plans to ensure the construction begins next month. ‘For years, wildfires have destroyed livestock, grazing fields, and homes because we do not have fire engines in Nkandla. We hope this project will attract investment to our town and strengthen our disaster management capacity,’ she said.

Meanwhile, Buthelezi announced the expansion of the rural electrification project in the Maphumulo area, also in Nkandla. More than 60 households are expected to be connected to the national grid as part of the initiative. Addressing the residents, Buthelezi reaffirmed the department’s commitment to rural development. ‘As we visit this area, we are here to implement the programmes we announced when we tabled the budget before the legislature. Each financial year, we will continue to expand electrification in rural communities until everyone has access to electricity,’ Buthelezi said.