President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday committed to “climate proofing” his government so that responses to national disasters like the devastating April floods in KwaZulu-Natal can be dealt with in a more “resilient” manner, notably through the soon-to-be-established Economic Command Council.
Ramaphosa was in Durban engaging with leaders of business and industry at the request of the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Warnings were sounded that the KwaZulu-Natal economy is on its knees and that climate change is an ever-escalating threat.
The president said much had been learnt from what was presented at the chamber meeting by business. “As government, we must now prioritise, as we work together regarding the integration of climate change and its associated impacts into all of government’s planning … this is where we will also need to work together because even as we plan, we don’t plan what happens in the city or the metro on our own.”
The president said key role players are critical to climate proofing human settlements, building climate resilience in the agriculture sector and constructing climate resilient infrastructure. “We need a complete overhaul in infrastructure as well now that we know we are susceptible to climate change vagaries on the eastern seaboard of our country as well as on the western side where the droughts are quite severe. Our collective state of readiness for natural disaster must be drastically improved and disaster-risk assessments by all provinces must be regular and ongoing.”
Ramaphosa said the KwaZulu-Natal floods showed that the government was not as disaster-ready as it should be.
“There will now be a clear expectation that municipalities and provinces and departments should develop, update, review and submit disaster management and contingency plans to the National Disaster Management Council. Mechanisms to improve access to provincial and municipal disaster relief funding are being addressed.”
Accompanied by key ministers who provided brief input on the rebuild and reconstruction priorities pertaining to their respective ministries, Ramaphosa said that notwithstanding great progress, challenges remain, “challenges that have a direct and serious impact on the provincial economy”.
“The interruptions to rail have disrupted the delivery of exports to the port, with automotive and citrus particularly badly affected. The short-haul trucking system to facilitate faster inward container movement is working well, but will input further pressure on traffic flows, particularly the Bayhead Road [the main corridor in and out of the commercial port sector]”
More than 500 people have died so far as a result of the floods and 121,687 people from 17,438 households have been affected by the disaster, with a further 7,245 people living in shelters.
The storm ravaged key infrastructure affecting sectors that power the provincial economy, including the port, retail, manufacturing, wholesale, agriculture, distribution warehousing and freight.
Business called for a social compact with the government and an urgent rebuild of critical infrastructure, along with the priority of addressing rampant crime that is driving away investors. They said the damage to infrastructure such as roads, energy transmission and distribution, water and sanitation facilities, and disruption at the port of Durban continues to have a dire effect on the economy.
Durban Chamber president Nigel Ward said Durban is likely to lose 1.5%-1.8% of GDP due to the floods, and the south Durban region — home to the country’s largest manufacturers and a platform and route to the Port of Durban — needs urgent attention.
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