Court Limits Mbombela Fire Vehicle Use

The Mpumalanga High Court has ruled that the City of Mbombela (CoM) Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Services can use its attached firefighting vehicles exclusively for emergencies.

This decision, delivered on Tuesday, keeps all seven vehicles under judicial attachment. They cannot be sold or disposed of but may be deployed for emergency services. The CoM retains the option to apply for rescission of the order, which would be reviewed later.

The vehicles—three fire engines, three water tankers, and a grader—were seized by service provider Tunica Trading 104 on December 9. This action followed the CoM’s failure to pay nearly R7 million for services rendered over a year ago.

Although the vehicles remain at the Mbombela Fire Station, their legal possession has been transferred to the Sheriff of the Court. If the outstanding debt remains unpaid, the next step would be to auction the vehicles.

The CoM’s urgent rescission application on December 24 was denied and struck off the roll.

Advocate Ali Milazi, representing Tunica Trading 104, highlighted the municipality’s obligation to settle its debt. “The Sheriff will ensure the equipment is neither sold nor damaged. If no payment offer is made, the vehicles will be auctioned to recover the owed amount,” Milazi explained.

The CoM is now under pressure to resolve the matter to retain its critical emergency response assets.