The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Indigenous Affairs, Mr. Velenkosini Hlabisa, wants to strengthen programs to protect people from disasters that strike suddenly.
Hlabisa said that the 2022 floods in KwaZulu-Natal will make up to 40,000 people homeless.
“500 people died because of these floods. Recently there were floods in Limpopo, which caused a lot of damage. People lost their homes, they became homeless,” said Hlabisa speaking at a conference discussing ways to deal with disasters in the country, in Johannesburg recently.
Hlabisa said that the country is facing the situation of various disasters. He counted floods, droughts, wildfires, heavy rains and hurricanes.
“This is caused by climate change. There needs to be plans to be able to identify disasters before they strike.”
He lamented that women, children, the disabled and the elderly are the victims of disasters.
“Even if there are disaster laws, they will not work alone. Strong leadership is needed to deal with this situation. It is also necessary to cooperate in different organizations in order to win this war.”
He said plans need to be made in advance and there should be things that will quickly identify if there will be a disaster so that people can be warned as soon as possible.
“Municipalities have an important role in the issue of disasters. But they are facing challenges, some of them include the area where houses are built, the emergence of slums and others. It is necessary to enrich people with information about disasters.”
He also mentioned technology and said that it plays an important role in the early identification of disasters.
He said quality infrastructure must be built to be able to withstand the harsh climate change.