 | Drakenstein Farm Watch finally shows their hand – here are the facts
04 April 2025 | Press Releases |
4 April 2025
Drakenstein Farm Watch (DFW), which portrays itself as an honourable volunteer organisation supported by private funding, this week finally showed its hand when it knocked on Drakenstein Municipality’s door to fund its operations, staff, equipment and marketing for the next financial year with a massive R2.4 million.
Recognising the role that DFW plays in Drakenstein, the Municipality has had many discussions with DFW over the years, paid on-site visits to their premises, and even offered to assist them to comply with firefighting legislation – all in good faith. The Municipality also has a memorandum of understanding and a memorandum of agreement with DFW in place to render urgent medical and security responses during fires and other emergency situations.
Yet, DFW chooses to regularly lambast the Municipality on social media and other public forums for so-called non-performance, lack of firefighting vehicles, and slow response times - all fabricated. Not only does this show bad faith on DFW’s part, but it is unethical and sabotages its partnership with the Municipality.
The bottom line is that DFW needs money and will do everything in its power to get it – even if it means spreading lies about its own partners, of which the Municipality is one.
The Municipality further finds its strange that DFW expects the Municipality to fund a private organisation with taxpayers’ money while the Municipality already has an officially authorised, fully functional and equipped fire and rescue services division in place.
Drakenstein Municipality’s Fire and Rescue Services has solid cooperation agreements and constructive partnerships in place with the City of Cape Town, Cape Winelands District Municipality, and the Breede Valley, Stellenbosch, and Swartland Municipalities. The Drakenstein firefighting teams and vehicles regularly assist with firefighting in these areas, and when the need arises, this is reciprocated.
To the public, DFW pretends to be noble, legitimate, and aboveboard. The truth, however, is that DFW is an unauthorised private service which runs a risky business. It charges fire victims thousands of rands for its services. This has come to the attention of the Municipality through various complaints received from disgruntled farmers, and home and landowners.
The law is clear. In terms of Section 4 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, firefighting services is a function of local government. Drakenstein Municipality’s Fire and Rescue Services, as the authorised service, are responsible for fighting all fires in its municipal area. The Municipality is bound by its legislative mandate to provide qualified personnel and safety at operational incidents, as it affects the public in dangerous situations.
DFW is not lawfully regulated, recognised, demarcated or equipped to fulfil this function – neither is all its members trained to do so (by its own admission). That means that DFW could face criminal charges and/or civil claims should their actions result in death or the destruction of property.
As DFW is not designated under the Fire Brigade Services Act, it does not have the powers of the service as indicated in Section 8 of the Act or the indemnity as in Section 20. The responsibility and powers bestowed to members under the Act is a huge responsibility on the local authority concerned, in this case Drakenstein Municipality, to ensure that any of the actions carried out is with great care and diligence.
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Issued by: Communication and Marketing, Drakenstein Municipality
