The role and adequacy of disaster management unit within the South African Municipalities

Abstract

This paper evaluates the role of municipalities in disaster management and its adequacy in handling the disaster management problems and challenges. It is argued in this paper that despite the existence of the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) within the three spheres of government, South Africa is still among countries that are at risk of wide range of natural disaster such as floods, drought, fire and manmade disasters such as misuse of technology, transitions in cultural practice and lack of awareness and information which causes damage or harm to the society at large. However, it is argued that disasters which are natural are not preventable, but disaster management strategies such as prevention, mitigation, preparedness, and response can be put in place within institutions to ensure that all citizens are able to respond to any possible disasters which may occur. The Methodology followed in this paper is qualitative in the sense that secondary sources are used to argue about the adequacy of Disaster Management Unit capacity in South African municipalities to handle disaster problems. The question that remains to be answered in this paper is: Does the Disaster Management Units as established within South African municipalities have the means to ensure planning and preparation for emergencies and protection against possible disasters which may occur in their setting. The argument in this paper is based on the assumption that disasters may happen at any time and consequently affect vulnerable rural people than those who reside within urban areas. This in essence means that South African municipalities are still faced with major challenges in addressing disaster related issues particularly in rural areas. It is also argued that municipalities struggle to put in place their disaster management plans which includes the assignment of primary and secondary responsibilities for priority disaster risks posing a threat in their municipalities. This paper, therefore, conclude that the existence of the Disaster Management Units in improving disaster management are inadequate in functions and it is recommended that possible awareness campaigns that can help rural people to respond in terms of emergencies that can lead to disasters be commenced.