On 15 March 2020, a National State of Disaster was declared by the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs and announced to the nation by President Cyril Ramaphosa. This was in response to the growing threat posed by COVID-19, a respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.
What appeared to be a localised infection in Wuhan, China, spread throughout the world in a matter of weeks, prompting the World Health Organization to declare COVID-19 a global pandemic on 11 March 2020, just four months after the discovery of the virus in China.
South Africa’s prompt response to the threat of the spread of COVID-19 has received global praise. However, the country remains particularly vulnerable to the pandemic, given the levels of poverty, unemployment, and HIV and TB infections. A multi-stakeholder response will help to alleviate some of the socioeconomic pressures; however, this ‘Black Swan’ event is testing our disaster preparedness to the limit.
South Africa has experienced a number of disasters over the years. Aside from the scourge of COVID-19, the country has endured lengthy periods of drought, most recently the ongoing El Niño-related drought period from 2015 to the present (drought was declared a national disaster on 4 March 2020 the worst drought South Africa has suffered in 1 000 years. Cape Town experienced three consecutive dry winters from 2015-2017, leading to the water crisis in 2018. The city managed to avert ‘Day Zero’– the day when taps would be turned off altogether, despite being just 90 days away from disaster.
Other significant climate-related natural catastrophes in South Africa include the Knynsa fires of 2017, the Ladysmith floods of February 1994 –the worst in 78 years, with more than 1 000 families left homeless), hailstorms, tornadoes, tropical cyclones, veld fires, locust infestations, landslides and – occasionally – earthquakes. Damage caused by these catastrophes includes loss of life, social damage, damage to state-owned and privately owned property and economic loss.
South Africa’s disaster risk reduction policies
South Africa is generally considered to have some of the best laws and policies for disaster risk reduction on the continent (see our section on Policy Papers and Research). The Disaster Management Act of 2002 was considered one of the most progressive disaster management laws in the world at the time, predating both the World Conference on Disaster Reduction, and the Hyogo Framework for Action (which has now been replaced by the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2013). It was used as an example of international best practice. The Disaster Management Amendment Act of 2015 was promulgated to overcome challenges like a lack of accountability at local level and clarity regarding funding. These Acts provide for an integrated and coordinated disaster management policy that looks at preventing or reducing the risk of disasters, mitigating their severity, being well prepared for emergencies, and assisting with recovery post-disaster.
Within a global context, disaster relief can be viewed within the context of the following Sustainable Development Goals:
Why invest in disaster relief?
The Department of Cooperative Governance is responsible for disaster management in South Africa. In terms of the Disaster Management Act of 2003, a National Disaster Management Centre was established, with functional disaster-management centres and advisory forums in each province. Although South Africa’s disaster risk governance landscape is well developed, challenges remain – government is the key role player, but risk reduction cannot be viewed as the responsibility of government alone. Risk mitigation benefits all role players, as does resilience-building – the aim is to safeguard livelihoods, especially those not protected by insurance.
Investing in disaster management helps to avoid losses in the event of a disaster and also unlocks development potential, particularly as the chance to ‘build back better’ is a real possibility.
Guidelines for effective funding in disaster relief
- Corporates should set aside a budget and clarify decision-making processes so that they can respond to disasters quickly and effectively.
- Most disaster relief funding goes towards attending to the immediate needs of those affected by disasters. While this is essential, funders should consider the long-term impact of disasters. Funds can be put aside for reconstruction and rehabilitation programmes following a disaster.
- Although efforts are made to deal with disasters once they have occurred, less emphasis is placed on preventive strategies aimed at saving lives and protecting assets before they are lost. Programmes that prevent or minimise damage, and therefore save costs, may be the best investment.
Recommended Resources
South African Resources
- Covid-19 State of Disaster vs State of Emergency: What’s the difference? This Daily Maverick article explains the difference between a State of Disaster and a State of Emergency, within the context of the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Constitutional rights during disaster This Mail & Guardian article explores which Constitutional rights are limited during a state of disaster, and how this is enforced in practice.
International Resources
- Economic Losses, Poverty & Disasters 1998-2017 According to this 20-year report by the United Nations, disaster-hit countries reported direct economic losses of US$2 908 billion, of which climate-related disasters accounted for US$2 245 billion (77% of the total amount).
- Disasters displace more people than conflict or violence According to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, extreme weather events are forcing millions of people from their homes every year. In 2018, disasters displaced 17.2 million people from their homes – 90% of those fleeing weather and climate-related hazards.
- Three good reasons to invest in disaster resilience This 2015 article explains the ‘triple dividend of resilience approach and suggests that investing in disaster resilience can help to safeguard hard-won development gains as well as secure future progress.
