RHEENENDAL NEWS - Residents have questioned the visibility and presence of the recently unveiled fire truck in the community.
The truck was introduced during the opening of the Rheenendal e-centre in June.
The residents' concerns about the vehicle's whereabouts intensified after reports emerged that it had allegedly caught fire on the premises of the service provider where it was undergoing the installation of additional firefighting equipment, and that it has since allegedly been written off.
One such resident, identified as Carol on the community group, questioned why the alleged fire and damage to the fire truck, as well as the establishment of the service provider's facility, had not been reported in the news or newspapers.
She questioned the credibility of the information, particularly as the fire truck had not been seen in the community for some time.
Other residents on the same community group, however, claimed that fire trucks had been deployed elsewhere and were not stationed in Rheenendal.
These reports have not been independently verified or confirmed.
This publication's enquiry to the Knysna Municipality specifically referred to the reports and sought clarity on the truck's current location, operational status and whether it had been damaged or destroyed.
The issue was also raised publicly by Shane Nassif, Ward 5 DA aspirant candidate, in a statement circulated this week on the Rheenendal Community Info WhatsApp group.
Nassif said the information he initially shared was provided to him by the municipality's director of services, Johnny Douglas.
He said he subsequently followed up with the official and contacted the manufacturer of the fire truck to establish what had happened.
According to Nassif, both confirmed that the truck had been returned to the manufacturer or service provider after its unveiling for the completion of its firefighting equipment fitment.
He said the facility subsequently caught fire, resulting in the destruction of the Rheenendal fire truck. Nassif further said he had been informed that the municipality had submitted an insurance claim and that the replacement process could proceed once the claim had been finalised.
However, Knysna Municipality disputed the information contained in the enquiry, stating that it was "not factually correct".
Municipal communications manager Christopher Bezuidenhout said the greater Knysna fire fleet was allocated for operational use across the entire municipal area and was not permanently assigned to a specific locality unless operational and infrastructure requirements provided for such an arrangement.
He said the newly acquired fire engine had been redeployed, while Rheenendal continued to receive fire and emergency response through a fire trailer, supported by the Knysna and Sedgefield fire stations.
Bezuidenhout added that the truck's permanent placement in Rheenendal remained subject to the establishment of a properly capacitated satellite fire station.
‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’
