Midvaal’s Morne Mommsen joins elite SADC Emergency Response Team

Midvaal Local Municipality is proud to announce that Morne Mommsen, Divisional Officer for Training at Midvaal Fire and Rescue Services, has been appointed to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Emergency Response Team (ERT).

He is one of only two South Africans selected to serve on this specialised regional unit, following a nomination by the municipality and formal endorsement by the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC).

Mommsen will serve in the Search and Rescue Section of the ERT, bringing over 34 years of service in Emergency Services. His career includes multiple international deployments as a Search and Rescue specialist, authoring South Africa’s first Canine Search and Rescue Manual, serving as a subject matter expert for the QCTO Curriculum Development Platform and presenting research at national and international conferences.

He has extensive qualifications in disaster risk management, technical rescue, firefighting, emergency medical response and K9 search operations, and is currently pursuing his master’s degree in environmental science with a focus on Disaster Risk.

He will attend the SADC ERT Induction Training in Nyanga Province, Zimbabwe, from 25 August to 5 September 2025. Upon completion, he will be formally inducted and available for deployment to assist any SADC member state in times of disaster.

Cllr Chantal Gomes, MMC for Public Safety, congratulated Mommsen, stating that his appointment is a significant achievement for both him and Midvaal.

Gomes said: “His selection is a direct result of decades of dedicated service, technical expertise, and leadership in life-saving operations. We are extremely proud of him and confident that he will represent Midvaal and South Africa with distinction. We congratulate Mommsen on this outstanding accomplishment and wish him success in his training and future deployments.”