BY MBONO MDLULI
MBABANE – Members of Eswatini National Fire and Emergency Services (ENFES) have donated seven cows and a cheque of E50 000 to Their Majesties.
This happened today (Friday, October 11, 2024) at Matsapha International Airport during the first ever Eswatini National Fire Day. The message of the donation was announced by Minister of Housing and Urban Development Appolo Maphalala, who is the minister responsible for the ENFES.
According to the Minister, three of the cows belong to His Majesty King Mswati III and two cows belong to Her Majesty the Indlovukazi. Minister Maphalala further mentioned that the two other cows were donated by the firefighters, expressing gratitude to His Majesty the King for touring the Matsapha Fire Station. According to the minister, this gesture by the king automatically means that he has also toured other fire stations across the country.
The minister further mentioned that the E50 000 cheque was donated to Philani Maswati Charity Organisation, an organisation whose patron is Her Majesty the Indlovukazi. Maphalala also praised Their Majesties for seeing it fit for the ENFES to be established in 1975, through the King’s Order In Council of 1974. According to the minister, this department is 48 years old.
Maphalala said the department was established to protect the nation from being possible victims of wild fires and other emergencies such as car accidents, flooding of rivers, and other incidents that could be a threat to human lives. The minister mentioned that through Their Majesties’ vision, the department has grown since its establishment.
He also mentioned that when the ENFES was established, it started with only one fire station, which was in Mbabane. Today, the department has about 10 fire stations across the country, which include Pigg’s Peak, Lobamba, Manzini, Matsapha, Mankayane, Siphofaneni, Siteki, Big Bend, and Nhlangano. The minister further thanked His Majesty the King for offering a piece of land, where a college to train fire fighters will be established.
The minister said such initiatives would help the department to be relevant to the services Emaswati could need from the fire fighters. He said fire fighters were challenged because as years progressed, the number of people increased, together with the buildings that were constructed. This means that the fire fighters need to be up for such challenges, hence the need of such colleges.
