The catastrophic floods in Limpopo and Mpumalanga, as characterised by President Cyril Ramaphosa, are a reminder that climate change is our reality and its effects can cause unimaginable devastation.
The floods have so far left destruction in the two provinces, with at least 11 lives lost by the weekend, infrastructure washed away, businesses counting losses and an increased risk of waterborne disease.
During his visit to Mopani District in Limpopo last week, which has been the hardest hit area, Ramaphosa expressed shock that 36 houses had been wiped away from the face of the earth.
Experts have warned that extreme weather events will become common and get even more intense in the coming years. This therefore has necessitated the need to prioritise disaster management planning, response strategies, emergency relief and public education about the dangers of building too close to riverbanks, wetlands and flood lines.
While changing climate patterns are not in any government’s control globally, disaster preparedness is, and through long-term planning the risks associated with this can be mitigated and lives saved. The government can no longer avoid criticism by simply stating that these are natural disasters that no one could do anything about.
The Disaster Management Act provides a legal framework for establishing integrated policies and procedures at national, provincial and municipal levels for risk reduction, preparedness and response.
This brings to the fore the question of good governance to ensure the government provides relief, infrastructure is protected and public safety is guaranteed.
The auditor-general has consistently highlighted major shortcomings in municipal disaster management across the country, indicating a lack of capacity, corruption risks, poor planning and risk management failures.
Despite the weather warnings issued by the SA Weather Services about the increasing risk of flooding, including heightened levels, there appears to have been very little early warning system by the affected municipalities to communities.
Even when the disaster occurred, the response was slow, leading to some people being trapped in flooded areas for days until the SA National Defence Force helicopters arrived to airlift them.
The government cannot continue to be caught napping by the severity of the weather in different parts of the country, while there are sufficient indicators to put plans in place to mitigate these disasters.
It is now time for the authorities to prioritise proactive measures, including public education, to minimise threats to lives. With some proactive measures in place, we can minimise the adverse effects of the severe weather patterns in our country.
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