Durban - KwaZulu-Natal will host a national disaster summit at which leading figures in the field will discuss ways of dealing with natural disasters, members of the Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Portfolio Committee have been told.
The gathering is expected to provide ideas on how provinces and municipalities can respond to natural disasters, which are becoming a frequent feature across South Africa, and KwaZulu-Natal.
As KZN, mainly Durban, continues with recovery efforts from the floods that caused extensive damage to infrastructure and loss of lives last year, committee members have welcomed the event.
Senior Cogta official Funi Makhaye, who told committee members about the summit, could not confirm the date or the venue.
Chairperson, Zinhle Cele, noted how KZN had been battered by disasters, and how it was important for the province to respond promptly when they struck.
“These are very critical matters given how KZN has suffered in the past,” she said.
When tabling the department budget two weeks ago, Cogta MEC Bongi Sithole-Moloi said the Provincial Disaster Management Centre had established a solid relationship with the South African Weather Service to monitor and disseminate weather warnings and advisories to those who would probably be affected.
Sithole-Moloi said the relationship was borne out of the experience from the floods that occurred between April and May last year.
“The floods and disasters that occurred in April and May 2022 have exposed a lot in terms of our capacity to co-ordinate and collaborate internally and externally in order to ensure effective and rapid response to disasters,” she told the sitting two weeks ago.
The summit is seen as part of the provincial government’s response to the challenge of disasters.