By Community Podium
Hwange Local Board received a donation of a Volvo fire engine and ancillary equipment from Operation Florian, a UK-based organisation.
The acting Town Secretary, Paulos Mabhureni, said the 2,800-liter engine brings relief to the community of Hwange, which had been without a fire engine for two years.
“The latest acquisition comes when we have been operating without any fire engine for two years after the one we had broke down in 2021,” Mabhureni said. “Efforts to bring it back into service before the end of this year or the first quarter of next year by importing the needed spare parts are underway. If we repair it, we will have two fire engines, which would be a positive development that will go a long way in terms of risk and disaster preparedness in our jurisdiction.”
Even though the engine was a donation, the local authority had to pay $15 000 for shipping and duty.
Mabhureni also revealed that plans are afoot to build a fire station in Hwange.
“We had included it in our 2023 budget, but we failed to undertake the project due to financial challenges,” Mabhureni said. “However, we are optimistic that we will commence the project next year.”
