By Waaqiah Jaffer
Ntanti Sephiri, a Senior Manager for Emergency Services at the Sol Plaatje Municipality, dedicated 34 years of his life to saving lives.
“I grew up in Mafikeng Northwest Province during the former Bophuthatswana government and matriculated in 1989 from Barolong High School. After that, I trained with the South African Fire Services Institute (SAFSI) before being appointed as a Fire Officer in Mafikeng,” stated Sephiri.
In 1998, Sephiri relocated to Johannesburg and then to Kimberley in March 2005.
Sephiri’s passion is helping those in need. “After helping people, I feel proud of myself,” he said excitedly.
He encourages the youth to become firefighters. “Learners with Mathematics and Physical Science stand a better chance to become firefighters. Furthermore, they must be physically and mentally strong. However, do not take this career for the sake of money but for the love of assisting others and saving lives,” he warns.
According to this dedicated officer, despite facing danger daily, firefighters’ health is seldom compromised because they are required to wear their necessary protective gear (PPE) when approaching a hazardous scene.
“We perform drills to maintain and prepare our mental and physical condition to be productive. Risk assessments are completed regularly. Sometimes, things do not go as planned, then we blame ourselves, assuming we could have done more. Hence, a psychologist is appointed to debrief and counsel officials after returning from a traumatic scene,” he explains.
Between rescuing lives and extinguishing fires, Sephiri managed to further his education. “I graduated with a BTech in Public Management from Central University of Technology (CUT) and another (BTech) in Fire Technology from Tshwane University of Technology, including a CPMD in Finance Management from the University of Witwatersrand,” he said with enthusiasm.
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