Kishugu and the Working on Fire Programme have reached a milestone today, after being in a successful partnership for the past 17 years.
During September, we will focus on a campaign to highlight and showcase these 17 years of success.
A celebration function was held today at the Lowveld Escarpment Fire Protection Association (LEFPA) on a national and provincial level and in accordance with COVID-19 regulations with a restricted number that doesn’t exceed 50 people.
Kishugu’s four subsidiaries have perfected the recipe over the past 17 years to implement the programme, from training to fleet and aviation solutions. We have streamlined our approaches to fight wildfires optimally and within record time.
Over the past 17 years, the Programme, funded by the Department of Environment, Forestry, and Fisheries (DEFF), has grown exponentially from its humble beginnings, with just 850 veld and forest firefighters, to a globally renowned program, employing over 5 000 people. It encompasses WOF, the High Altitude Team (HAT), the Drought Relief Project (DRP), the Value-Added Industries (VAI) project an,d its recent addition, the Forestry Support Team program.
These partnerships include WOF’s long-standing relationship with the DEFF, national and local government entities, public and private landowners, and Fire Protection Associations.
Johan Heine, founder of the company stated in his address that Kishugu “desires for another 10 years of successful partnership with Working on Fire, and our hope is to grow this programme from the current 5,000 to 10 000 firefighters. “It has always been a major driver for us to create jobs in our beautiful country and uplift communities that is surrounded by vegetation. We realise the impact of job creation and saving the environment at local communities, and to know this started in Mpumalanga and branched out to be a nationwide initiative.”
A moment of silence (sometimes referred to as a minute of silence or a one-minute silence) is a period of silence, contemplation, prayer, reflection, or meditation, while adhering to COVID-19 Regulations.
