Question NW3851 to the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
07 December 2023 - NW3851
Hadebe, Mr BM to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
What (a) lessons have been learned from past disasters to enhance her department’s disaster response for improved implementation of interventions and (b) projects will be implemented by utilising the recent budget adjustment allocation for the National Disaster Centre?
Reply:
a) Various lessons have been learnt from the coordination of disaster response measures and engagements of stakeholders. The key lessons are as follows:
- Review and strengthening of the disaster management function placement, capacity and capability across spheres and sectors; Mainstream Disaster Management in all organs of state; Improvement of intergovernmental collaboration and coordination through integrated disaster management plans and contingency arrangements; Identification of risks early through multi-hazard community-based risk assessments; Improvement of the Early Warning Systems to activate local early action initiatives;
- Implementation of a centralized information management system; Educate communities to increase resilience and decrease vulnerability; development & increase of the use of risk transfer mechanisms and development of the disaster risk financing strategy for the country.
b) The recent budget adjustment allocation for the National Disaster Management Centre will be utilised for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of municipal infrastructure damaged by the floods in Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and the Eastern Cape provinces. The funded municipal infrastructure are mostly roads and water related infrastructure.
End.