16 Jan Hundreds of firefighters leave Zimbabwe

Bulawayo mayor Solomon Mguni, said in his end-of-year message that elevated numbers of Zimbabwean firefighters are leaving the country, and noted that the number of resignations was affecting the performance of the city’s fire department.

He said: “The period under review saw a massive departure of experienced firemen for greener pastures. 11 resignations were recorded, making it a resignation every month.

“Besides robbing the function of experienced personnel, this is a big dent in the brigade’s service as such departures leave a gap in the mentoring of the newly qualified firemen and women.”

Bulawayo is not the only major city experiencing a mass exodus of firefighters who are heading to greener pastures. Harare has seen a similar situation.

In 2021, the city lose 125 firefighters, with Harare Chief Fire Officer, Lovemore Mafukidze, saying Zimbabwean firemen were the most sought after.

He said: “Harare has lost more firefighters than any local authority in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwean firefighters are very much sought after by countries in the Middle East namely the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia to mention a few.”