Disaster management plan and the integrated development planning process of municipalities in South Africa.

Abstract

Climate change outcomes and their effects are inexorably visible in communities as they experience disasters. Arguably, municipalities take the lead in dealing with the effects. Usually, municipal officials are the first to deal with the aftermaths of disasters that impact negatively on the lives of people in their respective jurisdiction. Hence, the resilience of communities affected by disasters will ordinarily depend on the ability and capacity of municipalities to respond to such disasters efficiently. Adequate planning is one of the prerequisites for municipalities to effectively respond to climate change. The planning should be underpinned by an adequate understanding of the impact of disasters on the living conditions of communities in those municipalities. The article uses literature on the discourse of disaster management to examine issues and challenges of managing disasters in South African municipalities and to advocate for effective integration of disaster management within their development planning processes. To this end, the article argues that whereas disaster management is a legislative requirement and the responsibility of municipalities in South Africa, in terms of the Disaster Management Act 57 of 2002, some municipalities neglect or pay lip service to this important responsibility of securing safer and sustainable communities. The article concludes by proposing considerable measures for enhancing the capacities of municipalities in South Africa in managing and dealing with disasters meaningfully to empower and sustain communities they serve.