Firefighter who saved drowning mom, kids waits for award

A Joburg firefighter who was off-duty when he jumped into a lake to save a woman and her two children from drowning is to be honoured with a Bravery Award.

At the time of the rescue, Mxolisi Masuku was knocking off when he saw a female motorist hit a puddle of water and slipped into a lake after her car lost control in Katlehong, on the East Rand, back in 2020. The car landed on its roof.

Masuku, 37, immediately made a U-turn, stopped and jumped into the water to get the family out of the car as it was sinking further into the lake. The lake's water level had risen sharply following floods from the heavy weekend downpour, and the water was at shoulder height when he waded in.

To this day, many people still remember his bravery of instinctively jumping into the chilly waters to save the three and now he's called a hero. "I am still grateful for the recognition, especially from stranger who call me a hero," he said.

The award is a recognition for firefighters who exhibit acts of heroism even when faced with extremely dangerous situations by stepping forward and saving lives without hesitation.

According to Masuku, it is a very high honour. He was looking forward to receiving this award this past Friday, however, the ceremony was postponed indefinitely.

"They attempted to give us the award back in 2020, but it didn't happen that year and it was postponed to this year. I am excited ... and obviously hearing that it's been postponed twice is hard."

Masuku is also one of the first responders at the deadly fire that tore through Usindiso Building killing 76 people in the Joburg CBD on August 31, 2023.

Despite that it's almost two years since the fire, he said he still remembers the sounds and smell of burning flesh from that fateful day as well as the chaos and confusion in one of the country’s worst inner-city disasters.

“It's still in my head to this day. I had to go for trauma counselling after that incident. You think you're okay for some time but I can still remember the smell of the corpses, of the fire,” he said.

The man who allegedly set Usindiso Building on fire, Lawrance Sithembiso Mdlalose, is currently on trial for 76 counts of murder, one of arson and 12 counts of attempted murder. On Monday, the court ruled that the confession he had made about starting the fire is admissible as evidence after he claimed that he set the building on fire under duress and was high on drugs.

Masuku, who has been a firefighter with the City of Johannesburg since 2018, said when they rushed 

to the scene, they were not given any information on whether it was an abandoned building or whether there were people inside.

They began battling the blaze from the outside, unaware that scores of people were trapped inside.

"I think most of us thought it was abandoned and we started tackling the fire from the outside, we didn't realise there were people trapped inside, until we started hearing the screams," said Masuku.

Masuku said being a firefighter was a passion that he had from a young age. "Whenever I saw a fire truck, I’d tell my mom I wanted to be a firefighter. It was always something I talked about. My mom would even tell me that I talked non-stop about it from a very young age and I think she’s proud that I followed on that dream," he said.

“It’s very rewarding. When the sirens ring and someone – whether they’re in a car accident or in a (burning) building – hears them, it gives them reassurance that 'okay, something’s going to happen. I’m going to come out of this situation alive," he said.

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