By Simon Majadibodu The City of Johannesburg's MMC for Public Safety, Mgcini Tshwaku, has urged residents in informal settlements to refrain from using illegal electricity connections and to exercise increased caution during the winter season. Tshwaku made this appeal at Kya Sands informal settlement in Randburg while launching a door-to-door fire safety and burns prevention campaign alongside EMS executive head, Chief Andries Mucavele. “The campaign aims to address the increase in fire incidents during the winter season by alerting residents about the dangers of neglecting electrical appliances and using illegal electricity connections,” Tshwaku said.
“This can be controlled with extra vigilance in handling electrical appliances and refraining from using electricity that is not legally connected,” he added. He mentioned that the Public Information and Relations (PIER) unit of EMS, responsible for initiating the door-to-door fire campaign, will be actively engaging with community members across the city to deliver educational programs on fire safety. “PIER has centres in seven regions, called Be Safe Centres, which provide educational programmes, such as basic fire fighting and basic first aid, for free.
” Upon completion of these programmes, residents will be fully equipped to handle emergency situations. “Fire safety education is crucial, especially during winter. In winter, EMS experiences a higher volume of fire incident calls, resulting in loss of life and p.
