Disaster Management Amendment Draft Bill

The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs invites you to submit written comments on the Disaster Management Amendment Bill.

The Bill aims to amend the Disaster Management Act, 2002, so as to:
▪ substitute and insert certain definitions;
▪ clarify policy focus on rehabilitation and functioning of disaster management centres;
▪ align the functions of the National Disaster Management Advisory Forum to accommodate the South African National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction;
▪ provide for the South African National Defence Force and South African Police Service to assist the disaster management structures;
▪ provide for an extended reporting system by organs of state on information regarding occurrences leading to the declarations of disasters, expenditure on response and recovery, actions pertaining to risk reduction and particular problems experienced in dealing with disasters;
▪ strengthen reporting on implementation of policy and legislation relating to disaster risk reduction and management of allocated funding to municipal and provincial intergovernmental forums established in terms of the Intergovernmental Relations Act, 2005;
▪ expand the contents of disaster management plans to include conducting disaster risk assessments for functioning areas, mapping of risk, areas and communities vulnerable to disasters;
▪ provide measures to reduce the risk of disaster through adaptation to climate change and developing of early warning mechanisms;
▪ provide for regulations on disaster management, education and training matters.

Written comments on the Disaster Management Bill can be emailed to Mr Mlungisi Gongqa at [email protected] by the 28 July 2013.

The Bill is available here: Disaster Management Amendment Draft Bill