Drought declared a national disaster
THE drought and water scarcity across South Africa has been declared a national state of disaster by Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Zweli Mkhize.
“In the case of the prevailing drought, the minister of co-operative governance and traditional affairs has the legal authority in terms of the Disaster Management Act to declare a national state of disaster through notice in the Government Gazette, which is expected today, Mkhize said yesterday.
“Accordingly, and in an effort to augment the arrangements that have already been put in place and following the recommendations of the Inter-Ministerial Task Team on Drought and Water, as the minister responsible for disaster management I have recognised that special circumstances exist, and have decided to declare the drought as a national state of disaster in terms of Section 27 (1) of the act.”
Mkhize clarified that the difference between “disaster classification” and “declaration of a state of disaster” is that when the disaster has been classified, but not declared, then the responsible sphere of government – municipal, provincial or national – must deal with the disaster within the parameters of its existing legislation and contingency arrangements.
“It is important at this point to indicate that the declaration of a state of disaster at any level is not primarily aimed at requesting funding.
“It is aimed at activating extraordinary measures, which might include funding, based on the need and other relevant conditions to address the impact of such a disaster.
“Resources, both technical and financial, should be mobilised by all spheres of government, private sector, non-governmental organisations and communities to implement intervention measures and consider recovery in the long term.”
Regarding government interventions following the declaration of the disaster, Mkhize said the National Joint Drought Co-ordinating Committee will meet monthly and continue co-ordinating integrated multisectoral intervention measures to address the drought situation.
“With regard to funding, the government stands ready to provide financial assistance where necessary and subject to legal prescripts.
“During the Budget Speech, the minister of finance stated that a provisional allocation of R6 billion has been set aside in the 2018/19 financial year for several purposes, including drought relief…” said Mkhize.
“I hereby wish to report that measures are being put in place to ensure that requests for funding are being considered, as received from the provinces, and we will report progress in the next briefing.”