Cabinet minister to visit family of firefighter killed in the line of duty

Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa will tomorrow (16-10-2015) visit the family of a Working on Fire firefighter who died at the weekend.

Modikwe Ramokgaba (35)‚ from Kraalhoek‚ fell and sustained burns while fighting fire in the Northam area of Limpopo. He was airlifted to Bela-Bela Hospital for emergency treatment but died in hospital on Sunday evening‚ the department said in a statement.

He is survived by his mother and two children.

Ramokgaba was a beneficiary of the Department of Environmental Affairs’ Working on Fire Programme‚ and was part of the group of firefighters who were deployed to battle fires in the Limpopo’s Waterberg region. The department said a number of the fires‚ which broke out in mountainous terrain spreading quickly into other areas difficult for veldfire fighters to access‚ were caused by lightning.

The fires have since been contained.

The department estimated that 70‚000 hectares of land‚ one farmhouse‚ three houses‚ three vehicles‚ two lodges and wild and domestic animals have been lost to wildfires.