Working on Fire sues over tender

South Africa’s national wildfire response system was at the centre of a legal battle in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Tuesday. Working on Fire has sought an urgent interim interdict to halt the department of forestry, fisheries and the environment’s decision to award a multibillion-rand national wildfire management contract to the Tefla Group. At stake is the structure and continuity of the Working on Fire programme, which both parties described in court papers as critical to wildfire prevention and suppression capacity across all nine provinces. The Working on Fire programme is implemented through a public-private partnership between the department and the Kishugu Group. In its amplified heads of argument, Working on Fire argued that implementation of the award before judicial review was completed would cause irreparable operational disruption, including the loss of established firefighting infrastructure, aviation capacity and Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) employment linked to the programme. The department, however, contended that delaying or suspending implementation of the award would itself undermine national wildfire-response readiness and destabilise an essential public safety system. The dispute arises from a 2022 contract for the five-year implementation of the Working on Fire programme, which was initially awarded to Working on Fire. That award was set aside in April last year after a challenge by rival bidders, including the Tefla Group and the SA Youth Movement–CEF joint venture, after the court found that bidders had not been treated fairly. The court ordered the department to reconsider the bids or restart the tender process, while allowing the existing arrangement to continue temporarily pending a legal outcome. After that reconsideration process, the department awarded the contract to the Tefla Group, triggering the current legal challenge. Working on Fire said the department illegally altered the procurement framework after bi