Every year, hundreds of SA’s firefighters get together for the ultimate challenge. This year, George saw them bring the heat!
George, South Africa (14 October 2025) – Things at the Garden Route Mall might’ve looked a little unusual this past weekend. Hundreds of firefighters were in full gear, running up towers, hauling hoses, and storming through obstacle courses.
It wasn’t an emergency. It was the 10th Toughest Firefighter Alive South Africa (TFA-SA) Challenge.
The competition has made the rounds for fourteen years. It first kicked off in 2011 at the Good Hope Centre in Cape Town. Since then, it’s travelled across SA with participants from fire services, volunteer groups, and private companies competing for the toughest title.
This year drew the biggest crowd yet, with 267 firefighters and 44 relay teams making their way to George for the 3-day event, from across South Africa. Even teams from Botswana and Namibia attended.
The challenge mimics scenarios that firefighters face everyday on the real job. It’s exhausting, but it’s the kind of fitness and strength our heroes need when they’re out saving lives.
The event also included a Mini-TFA and the TFA-Dräger Youth Challenge, where future heroes had the chance to earn their firefighting chops.
Gauteng came out on top at this year’s event, with N’zuri Ultimate Fire Fighters who won gold in both the men’s and women’s open relay challenges.
In the individual results, Western Cape EMS’s Aphiwe Ndukbini took first place in the men’s division, while Cape Town’s Baigum Abrahams, already a familiar face on the circuit, shared the women’s crown with teammate Thobeka Senatse.
Emile Conrad, who has already won the competition and other international challenges in his career, kept a shiny record by finishing second overall!
“It is not only about the competition,” said Garden Route District Mayor Andrew Stroebel in conversation with the George Herald. “This is a family-friendly event which gives firefighters from across the country the chance to interact and be seen for the heroes they are. It is a very lonely job. When everybody lies in their beds, fast asleep, these guys work to combat fires. They deserve this recognition.”
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