Inter-ministerial committee on standby for weather-related disasters - Human Settlements Dept

DURBAN - The Department of Human Settlements said an inter-ministerial committee was on standby for weather-related disasters to mitigate devastation.

The committee, chaired by Deputy President Paul Mashatile, meets once every two weeks to discuss and identify possible disasters.

Since 2020, South Africa has recorded a number of severe weather-related disasters, with KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, Gauteng, and Eastern Cape hardest hit.

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It's been three years since the 2022 floods in KwaZulu-Natal, but a full recovery from the devastating weather disaster is yet to be realised.

In the same light, wildfires have also claimed lives and destroyed farms and livestock.

While billions of rand were required to revamp the situation in KwaZulu-Natal, more funds are needed for recovery efforts from recent floods in the Eastern Cape, as government estimates damage amounting to R5 billion.

"Countrywide, on all the areas, could it be fire, floods and whatever, form of disaster, including disaster in the agriculture sands, where you either find devastation of crops or whatever," said Minister of Human Settlements Thembi Simelane.

She said the South African Weather Service (SAWS) had also been capacitated with early warning systems.