Western Cape declared disaster area amidst devastating storms

The Western Cape has been officially been declared a disaster zone following the recent intense storms that battered large swathes of the region.

On Monday, a briefing meeting was held in the province Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa, and Western Cape Premier Alan Winde to find a way forward following the recent destruction caused by the storms and flooding in the province.

Winde recently lauded Cogta for intervening when the province was battling heavy storms in the previous week. The storms affected 100,000 residents and damaged 33,000 structures.

“I urge national authorities to expedite this process. We desperately need additional resources to sustain our disaster management operations. Assessments still need to be finalised and from our side, as the Western Cape Government and our stakeholders in the province, we are working flat out to complete this process,” he said.

“I want to, again, thank all stakeholders for everything they do in the service of our citizens, particularly the most vulnerable,” said Winde in a statement.

‘We need to be proactive’ -Hlabisa

MEC Anton Bredell, responsible for Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, emphasised the critical need for preparedness and resource allocation to effectively manage the escalating impact of climate-related disasters.

Bredell expressed his condolences over the tragic loss of firefighters in KwaZulu-Natal, acknowledging the profound sacrifices made by these individuals in the line of duty.

The MEC’s sentiments were echoed by Hlabisa, who lamented not being able to arrive earlier to contribute to the response efforts in real time.

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Hlabisa who visited the affected areas attributed the disasters to climate change. He said all concentrated efforts were needed to mitigate the impact of intense weather conditions.

“We need to be proactive, we need to ensure that we plan ahead because there are indicators which do demonstrate what is coming next,” he said.

As the Ministerial briefing commenced on Monday, pressing questions arose regarding intergovernmental collaboration and resource sharing to ensure provinces can provide timely aid to affected communities.

Hlabisa underscored the importance of embracing the principles of a united government, overcoming political affiliations to collectively address the needs of all citizens. He added that political parties carried the responsibility to provide formal settlements to those currently residing in informal settlements in wetlands and low-lying regions.

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Hlabisa emphasised the need to move people from these vulnerable areas, saying them staying there was a time ticking bomb.

“We need to engage and persuade our people, that yes we understand they might not have formal houses but it’s not a good thing to put themselves at risk because we are living in a period of climate change,” added Hlabisa.

Moreover, the minister acknowledged the expense that comes with dealing with disaster saying it was costly due to funds having to be pulled from other areas.

ALSO READ: Cape storm: 14 000 structures damaged, thousands left without power

Disaster MOU between provinces

Furthermore, the minister welcomed the proposal for a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal, facilitating the sharing of expertise and resources to bolster a unified approach to disaster management.

This cooperative effort aims to enhance the effectiveness of response efforts and mitigate the devastating impacts of disasters.