Share

I won't apologise for helping to save lives and homes - Trollip

Port Elizabeth – Eastern Cape DA leader Athol Trollip is unapologetic about "helping to save the lives and homes of fellow residents".

This after the Democratic Alliance mayoral candidate for Nelson Mandela Bay was pictured with a fire hose on Saturday, helping to extinguish a fire in a Port Elizabeth suburb.

Trollip on Wednesday said, as a public representative, he was always committed to serving communities in need.

“With no emergency services on the scene yet, I could not drive past without helping, because I care for the people of this metro. Any person who cares and sees a fire and possessions being burnt would jump in and help in any way possible and that is exactly what I, and various DA councillors and activists did," he said.

He said he was not sorry at all about what he had done.

"I came to the aid of grief-stricken residents by dousing the flames with buckets of water and hosepipes, and I am not sorry that I did. I will not stand by and let vulnerable people suffer, as the ANC has done here for 22 years," he said.

'Photo opportunity'

On Tuesday, the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality said they had launched an internal investigation following Trollip’s firefighting "photo opportunity".

According to councillor Fikile Desi, mayoral committee member for safety and security, the investigation was of critical importance as the City could not allow a situation where professional firemen and women could have been impeded during the execution of their duties, his spokesperson Kupido Baron told News24.

He said three rescue pumps with crews of at least four professionals per vehicle were dispatched to a house in the Port Elizabeth suburb of Windvogel at 14:59 on Saturday.

"The critical question of how Mr Trollip managed to get a fire hose to pose for a photo session while flames and smoke are still clearly visible on the publicity pictures must now be answered," the municipality said.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you think corruption-accused National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will survive a motion of no confidence against her?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, her days are numbered
42% - 396 votes
Yes, the ANC caucus will protect her
58% - 558 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
18.94
-0.2%
Rand - Pound
23.91
-0.1%
Rand - Euro
20.43
+0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.34
+0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.2%
Platinum
910.50
+1.5%
Palladium
1,011.50
+1.0%
Gold
2,221.35
+1.2%
Silver
24.87
+0.9%
Brent-ruolie
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
68,346
+1.0%
All Share
74,536
+0.8%
Resource 10
57,251
+2.8%
Industrial 25
103,936
+0.6%
Financial 15
16,502
-0.1%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE