Africa-Press – South-Africa. The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) has declared a national disaster in South Africa following severe weather in the country.
The head of the National Disaster Management Centre, Elias Sithole, said the magnitude and severity of severe weather warranted a national response.
South Africa has experienced weeks of adverse weather conditions resulting in snowfall, damaging surface winds, heavy rainfall and flooding since 9 June.
The Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal were hardest hit by the storms, the department noted.
This resulted in the loss of life, damage to property, infrastructure and the environment, as well as the disruption of basic services.
“In terms of Section 23(1)(b) of the Disaster Management Act, I classified the impact caused by this severe weather system in the provinces listed above as a National Disaster,” Sithole said.
Provinces like KwaZulu-Natal have already been operating under a state of disaster in 2025, with a provincial disaster declared earlier this year due to severe flooding that hit the region.
However, a national state of disaster differs from a provincial disaster, allowing the national government to mobilise national resources and entities like the SAPS and SANDF to respond to crises.
Under the national disaster, organs of state across the three spheres of government will coordinate to strengthen support to existing structures to implement contingency plans to effectively deal with the effects of the disaster.
This includes coordinating rehabilitation measures as well as processing and submitting various updates and reports, tracking progress.
The state of disaster will remain in place until it lapses or until the conditions can no longer be categorised as such and is revoked by the head of the centre.
South Africa ravaged by storms and criminals
While severe weather conditions have hit most provinces in the country, it caused significant damage in the Eastern Cape in particular.
The province was hit by devastating floods this past week, which saw 90 people lose their lives, and over 2,600 residents were left homeless.
In KwaZulu-Natal, a total of 140 households were hit by storms and flooding, with 58 homes destroyed and 137 others partially damaged. About 962 people were directly impacted, with 31 families displaced.
The floods caused widespread destruction to homes, government facilities, roads, hospitals, and schools.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said that this is becoming a new reality for South Africa, with both the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal experiencing recurring annual disasters.
Floods in KwaZulu-Natal have become commonplace. The province was severely hit by floods in April 2022, which led to over 400 deaths and R17 billion worth of damages.
In 2024, floods hit the province again, causing another R3 billion in damages, followed by snowstorms later in the year.
In addition to the damage caused by the storms themselves, victims are also subject to criminality, where groups are seeking to take advantage of the vulnerable.
Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has flagged threats and intimidation directed at organisations that are trying to give assistance to flood-affected communities.
Members of a so-called “water mafia”, linked to service providers contracted by municipalities, have reportedly threatened aid givers as they distributed clean drinking water to residents impacted by the floods.
“We have also been made aware of individuals who go to the homes of those who lost their lives due to these floods, with a view to committing acts of theft from these homes,” Mchunu said.
Under a national state of disaster, the SAPS and other national resources can be directed to deal with these matters.
“Police have been deployed to ensure the safety of the property of the deceased.”
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