Govt declares national disaster in Cape provinces

The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) has declared the drought in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, and Northern Cape as a national disaster.

Head of the National Disaster Management Centre, Dr Elias Sithole, says the classification gives municipal, provincial, and national departments access to funds to coordinate relief efforts.

He explained that the top priority is ensuring that people have access to safe drinking water while balancing the needs of agriculture and food security.

“It is a very difficult balancing act because at the end of the day, you want to stabilise and not have a situation where people don’t have safe drinking water.”

The provinces have already been on high alert for dry conditions for some time, with many metros warning of a looming 'Day Zero'.

Sithole said the declaration also targets water conservation, with more severe water restrictions.

He emphasised the need for coordination and collaboration to address the crisis effectively.

“National Treasury will also step in, but we want to make sure that the municipalities do the maintenance so that we don’t have water leaks,” he said.

To listen to Sithole in conversation with 702’s John Perlman, use the audio player below: