The City of Tshwane held a two-day workshop to prepare for veld fires this winter, MMC for Community Safety Hannes Coetzee said in a press statement released on Thursday, 23 April 2026.
The Emergency Services Department ran the workshop with the Tshwane Fire Protection Association and other emergency teams. They met to plan how to work together and respond faster to fires.
The statement said the teams discussed fire safety rules, how to manage large emergencies using the Incident Command System, and how to improve training. They also did a practice drill to test how they would handle a real fire spreading near residential areas.
Mr Coetzee said the City has named high-risk areas for veld fires. These include Centurion, Bronkhorstspruit, Roodeplaat, Cullinan, Rayton and parts of the Pretoria CBD. He added that good community safety means planning ahead, not just reacting to problems. He said the workshop shows the City must make sure emergency teams are ready before a fire starts.
He added that winter brings more risk of veld fires because of dry grass and strong winds. Veld fires can harm homes, farms and informal settlements. Coetzee said working together is not a choice but it’s the City’s duty, and fire safety rules must be followed and will be checked by officials.
Residents are urged to help prevent fires by clearing dry grass around homes, not making open fires on windy days, and not throwing cigarette butts in open areas.
Fires can be reported to the Tshwane Emergency Services on 107 or 012 310 6300 or 012 358 6400.
