ABERDEEN NEWS - Serious allegations relating to the fire that destroyed a residential property in Aberdeen on 1 June are doing the rounds.

These allegations include that the Dr Beyers Naude Local Municipality (DBNLM) firefighters were unable to gain access to the depot since the security guard was nowhere to be found. The firefighters eventually resorted to cutting the chain to the gate to enter the premises.

An informed source told Graaff-Reinet Advertiser the security guard since could not be found on his post, because he was allegedly intoxicated and sleeping in a truck that was stationed on the premises at the time of the fire.

It is further alleged that the firefighters struggled to get the fire engine started after they (forcefully) gained access to the premises.

Numerous calls were made to request assistance but to no avail. Two fire engines then had to be sent from Graaff-Reinet.

One of the DBNLM firefighters in Aberdeen requested that the DBNLM should repair the fire engine some time ago but, allegedly, the regional manager of the Aberdeen municipality, Clive Kombani, did not respond to the request.

Some members of the Aberdeen community believe that the house could have been saved or would, at least, not have been destroyed had it not been for the delayed response to the fire.

According to Edwardine Abader, acting media liasion officer for the DBNLM, the municipality strongly disputes these allegations. She stated that preliminary investigations indicated that "these are malicious acts, aimed at bringing the municipality into disrepute" and that "further investigations are being conducted to determine the origin of these unfounded allegations."

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