Trollip in hot water over fire hose pics?

14 June 2016 - 10:07 By Deneesha Pillay
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The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality on Tuesday said that it has launched an internal investigation after pictures emerged of Democratic Alliance (DA) MPL Athol Trollip at a scene where firefighters were busy extinguishing a house fire in a Port Elizabeth suburb at the weekend.

“We launched an internal investigation after claims emerged of DA leader Athol Trollip ‘helping’ fire crews to extinguish a fire‚” municipal spokesman Kupido Baron said.

According to Baron‚ councillor Fikile Desi‚ mayoral committee member for safety and security‚ said that the investigation is “of critical importance as the city cannot allow a situation where professional firemen and women could have been impeded during the execution of their duties”.

Eastern Cape MPL Christian Martin lodged an official complaint against Trollip for “interfering” while firefighters were extinguishing the blaze.

Trollip was pictured assisting firefighters on Saturday‚ carrying a hose to help douse the fire.

In a letter of complaint to speaker of the provincial legislature‚ Noxolo Kiviet‚ Martin said Trollip had abused his powers and had brought the legislature into disrepute.

According to the municipality‚ three fire machines with crews of at least four professionals per vehicle were dispatched to a house in the suburb of Windvogel at 2:59pm on Saturday.

 

“Clarity is now sought if the Fire Brigade Services Act was transgressed as members of the public could easily emulate Mr Trollip’s actions by attempting to extinguish a fire without protective clothing and the relevant training while professional men and women are at the scene‚” Baron added.

 

DA Mandela Bay councillor Sandra Fillis‚ who responded on Trollip’s behalf as she was at the scene at the time‚ said Trollip acted “instinctively” as the DA was the first to arrive on the scene‚ The Herald reported.

“As a caring Bay resident‚ Athol acted instinctively by dousing the flames firstly with buckets of water‚ and then with a hose found lying on the ground nearby.

“Where was Christian Martin while this house was burning?” Fillis said.

However‚ Desi said that “the suggestion that the officials needed help could also send the wrong message as the team deployed to deal with the emergency were sufficient and if help were required reinforcements would have been called for from one of the closest fire stations”.

“The critical question how Mr Trollip managed to get a fire hose to pose for a photo session while flames and smoke are still clearly visible on the publicity pictures must now be answered‚” he added.

 TMG Digital/Cape Town Bureau

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