Held at the Concordia Training Centre near Knysna, the competition brought together teams to tackle a series of demanding fire suppression and emergency response challenges.
The Forestry class of 2026 based on George Campus entered a team for the competition, joining forces with the Garden Route Municipality, which provided a fire truck, a professional driver and hand tools to support the team. GFox sponsored the team's hard hats.
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Back, from left Zipho Ncanana, Zamokuhle Ndlovu, Nokubonga Mdlalose, Mihle Apleni, Thembelihle Mthembu, Isithandile Mpetshwa, and Simnikiwe Soko. Front, Sinovuyo Mntungwana (crew leader) and Sinakekele Makhubu
The competition began with a challenging 2.4 km run, with participants required to wear full safety garments. Following the run, the students took on a series of fire-hose drills, which involved starting pumps and filling water drums.
The challenges then shifted to practical fire and forestry skills. The team was required to clear a log from a road using a bow saw before tackling the final event: constructing a 10-metre fire belt using hand tools.
Competing against professional firefighters presented a significant challenge for the students. Despite getting lost during the run, the Mandela University team performed exceptionally well. The team also stood out for its diversity with an equal number of female and male members in the competition.
From left, Simnikiwe Soko, Thembelihle Mthembu, Nokubonga Mdlalose, Zipho Ncanana, Mihle Apleni, Isithandile Mpetshwa, Zamokuhle Ndlovu and Sinakekele Makhubu.
The event also provided an opportunity for the students to apply their practical skills in a demanding environment, while experiencing first-hand the teamwork, physical effort and coordination required in fire suppression activities.
Team spirit remained high throughout the day, with the students tackling each challenge together – from carrying and coupling high-pressure canvas hoses on a steep slope to working collectively to clear a fallen log from the road.
Forestry students work together to carry, roll out and couple canvas hoses on the steep slope during the fire suppression competition.
With valuable experience gained and plenty of determination for the future, the Forestry students have already set their sights on returning to the competition next year.