DURBAN - The development and growth of informal economies, especially those in townships and rural areas, could be stunted, if the government does not pay careful attention to the protection of infrastructure.
This is the warning from a youth development organisation which has warned that the recent floods experienced in KwaZulu-Natal in April and May were a foretaste of things to come because of the impact of climate change.
As South Africa gets ready to observe World Environment Day on June 5, the Afrika Tikkun Foundation has called for a rethink of the risks of extreme weather on South Africa’s most vulnerable populations.
The organisation noted that a second round of devastating floods in KZN only weeks after mudslides and gushing water disrupted the lives of thousands of people — should be a clarion call for government and society to protect and climate proof city and rural infrastructure.
According to the organisation’s CEO, Alef Meulenberg, this is particularly urgent in the townships where informal and small businesses are the backbone of survival for thousands.
“When it comes to climate change, we all know that it is happening, but there is an increased amount of localised disasters in different provinces, and this comes down to town planning, and, particularly, that of low-income areas where the poor are getting parts of land that are incredibly vulnerable. This, for us, is among the most important needs that have to be urgently addressed,” said Meulenberg.
He observed that while support interventions for the township economy are effective in a crisis, the long-term risks of climate change on society’s vulnerable must become a national, multi stakeholder priority in order to achieve climate justice and sustainable development in South Africa.
The CEO cited scientific assessments, including that of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and historical reports, which have shown that Africa will increasingly experience the harshest climate change impacts from warming that is already locked in the system.
“This means we have limited time to safeguard society, and in particular, the township economy to support vulnerable communities' continued engagement in self -employment, job creation and economic growth. An estimated 17% of South Africa's total employment is through the informal economy or so-called township economy according to Investec who singled this sector out as a vital part of South Africa’s economic revival in a recent report,” Meulenberg continued.
In addition to this, data from Statistics South Africa showed that informal businesses are responsible for the employment and income of approximately 2.5 million workers.
“Township businesses have shown remarkable resilience. They have been hit by Covid-19 lockdowns, July 2021 riots, and today, the floods. We are focusing on helping businesses to be supporters post the floods in KZN, but we need long term planning that will safeguard townships and informal settlements as part of disaster intervention,” said Meulenberg, adding that “people who are living in townships and informal settlements are not in prime areas, they are not developed for agricultural or residential use so again it really points to inequality and how the poor in a disaster are often the hardest hit.”
He stressed that plans by the government must address with urgency —the legacy of poor city planning that exposes the most vulnerable to unsafe infrastructure and intern climate change impacts.
“Dealing with poor infrastructure and rehabilitating poorly planned settlements is a critical part of what all institutions and stakeholders should consider when dealing with climate change adaptation and resilience building. This will automatically improve access to clean water, access to education, healthcare and other services,” said Meulenberg.
According to the Afrika Tikkun Foundation, mobilising finance from both the public and private sectors will be essential to boosting investments in protective infrastructure in which the costs of protection need to be weighed against the consequences of damage or disruption.
The Afrika Tikkun Foundation is a non-profit company providing education, health, and social services to underprivileged communities in South Africa.
The NPO is currently assisting more than 500 businesses affected by the floods in KZN, and according to Meulenberg, most SMMEs are located in poor communities in areas unfit to safeguard their lives and businesses against flooding.
THE MERCURY