Invoke NDMA Act; declare GBV national disaster – CANGO

THE Coordinating Assembly of Non-Governmental Organisations (CANGO) Executive Director Thembinkosi Dlamini has called for the application of the National Disaster Management (NDMA) Act of 2006.

Dlamini said the Act was clear on when disasters should be declared.

He also said such would enable the current executive administration to create jobs as job creation would be more effective tool to address GBV. He also said livelihood support such as cash grants to survivors and psychosocial support to deal with post-trauma issues were needed. Dlamini said even though this issue fell on the ambit of the Deputy Prime Minister’s (DPM) Office, it was not beyond the single ministry capacity.

He also said there was a need for a multi-pronged and multi sectorial approach, that would go beyond what the DPM’s Office is required.

“It is for such instances that the NDMA was promulgated and the NDMA Act established,” Dlamini said.

Dlamini said Section 30 of the NDMA Act was prescriptive when it came to what needed to be done by the prime minister (PM) upon the declaration of a national emergency.

Section 30 reads in part: “Upon the declaration of a national emergency, the minister, and upon the declaration of a regional emergency, the regional administrator, in consultation with the minister, shall institute whatever measures he or she considers appropriate to deal with the disaster including;

(a) Taking such actions as required by the relevant emergency management plans and procedures;

(b) Step up the provision of early warning and other information required for preparing for or dealing with a disaster; (c) Taking immediate action to use, direct and co-ordinate all available resources so as to counter the effects or the likely effects of the disaster occurrence or impending occurrence that led to the declaration;

(d) Immediately they become available, use, direct and co-ordinate all additional resources;

(e) Alerting disaster management role players that may be of assistance in the circumstances.”

He also highlighted Section 29 of the NDMA Act.

This passage enables the PM to assess the magnitude and severity or potential magnitude and severity of an issue that is a disaster and to classify the disaster as either a national or regional disaster before making the declaration in accordance with Subsections (4) and (5).

Dlamini said he recalls that the country and the people were still recovering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2021 civil unrest.

“People lost jobs, lost their businesses, livelihoods and coping mechanism,” he said, adding that the family structures were decimated.

“Imagine a young person who lived in the suburbs, in a well to do family, lost both parents and had to relocate to the rural area and depend on relatives for livelihood. Surely they would have psychosocial challenges leading them to a violent behaviour,” Dlamini said.

He said dealing with GBV in terms of the NDMA Act would ensure that there was a comprehensive understanding of the underlying issues which would be meted by appropriate responses.

Dlamini said GVB was bigger than law enforcement alone, even awareness raising seeking behaviour change. He said what was ideal was giving people, families and households practical support to deal with the socio-economic impacts after COVID-19 and the civil unrest as well as other events in their lives. Dlamini said the statute was clear on its objective of national disaster management as per section four as to avoid or minimise potential losses from hazards; provision of timely and appropriate assistance to victims and their dependents as necessary; and to achieve rapid and sustainable recovery.

Section 4 of the Act states that there first have to be consultations with key stakeholders in disaster management. This would then lead to an outcome of a national policy or plan to operationalise the policy, which itself would produce a national emergency contingency plan for disaster management.