Challenges and Opportunities of Implementing the SADC Legal and Institutional Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction During Cyclone Idai: Case of Zimbabwe and South Africa

Abstract

AbstractIn March 2019, Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe were hard hit by Tropical Cyclone Idai resulting in loss of lives, livelihoods and damage to infrastructure. Drought, flooding and cyclones are on the increase in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and their destructive trail threatens SADC’s common agenda of trade liberalization through regional economic integration. This chapter focuses on Zimbabwe and South Africa’s intervention measures against the adverse effects of Tropical Cyclone Idai. The main problem is that SADC member states appear unprepared to mitigate the adverse effects of tropical cyclones. The chapter questions the extent to which Zimbabwe and South Africa used the legal provisions of the SADC Treaty of 1992, the Hyogo Framework of Action (2005–2015) and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) (2015–2030) to manifest regional cooperation in disaster risk management. The chapter argues that if SADC member states continue failing to detect vulnerability from natural disasters, this will prevent the region from effectively building a culture of resilience for disaster risk reduction and management. The chapter recommends that SADC member states should adopt vulnerability and resilience approaches to enable their countries to better understand the scope and violent behaviour of extreme weather events such as tropical cyclones.KeywordsSADCLegal frameworkCyclone IdaiRiskVulnerabilityMitigationResilience