SAWS: Predicting and knowing your weather is important in an era of climate change

The South African Weather Servicehas walked the road with Minister Edna Molewa since 2010 when she was appointed Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs.

SAWS, as we have become known, has a rich heritage of meteorology and climatology and, under the Minister’s leadership, celebrated 150 years of meteorology in South Africa in 2010.

Not many organisations can claim such a wealth of data and information, which comes in handy at a crucial time when South Africa and the rest of the world are faced with challenges of climate change and adaptation.

The South African Weather Service became a public entity on 15 July 2001 in terms of the South African Weather Service Act, 2001 (Act No 8 of 2001). This Act was amended in 2013 under the auspices of Minister Molewa to include the hosting of the South African Air Quality Information System (SAAQIS) by SAWS. Crucial air quality information is now monitored by SAWS in collaboration with the Department of Environmental Affairs. This information assists in managing and mitigating South Africa’s air pollution and associated health challenges.

The Minister was well-known for her passion for matters relating to climate change. In December 2011, South Africa successfully hosted the 17th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP17) where the South African Weather Service and the World Meteorological Organization played a huge role.

Dr Molewa was particularly supportive of the Service’ expertise as a reliable source of weather and climate information, with research and technical abilities supporting and enhancing South Africa’s mitigation and adaptation strategies.

The National Framework for Climate Services was created in 2014 and is aligned to the National Climate Change Response Policy – a policy the Minister had facilitated. This initiative requires all stakeholders to cooperate and develop climate services for societal benefit and plays an important role in building societal resilience to climate change.

The Minister’s interest in the success of the Framework bore testimony to her desire to ensure that society, especially vulnerable communities, benefit from government initiatives.

A significant meteorological and climatological hazard occurred in 2015 when the country suffered from an El Nino weather episode towards the end of that year. While El Nino episodes do happen from time to time, this one was particularly serious. The Minister supported SAWS’ work throughout the El Nino period and during the resulting drought that has been experienced over parts of the country since 2016. She had always remained abreast of developments on the weather and climate front. During the 2015/16 financial year, Dr Molewa had also attended the engagements that led to the successful collaboration between SAWS and NEPAD to assist farmers in the use of agro-meteorological information that helps them to adapt to climate change in South Africa, a country where drought and flooding are grave threats to the safety of livestock and crops.

In the past two years, the Minister supported SAWS’ continued efforts to create a Weather-Smart Nation. She did this by engaging with vulnerable communities on matters relating to severe weather. She was especially happy about the organisation’s social media efforts to reach a wider audience and encouraged the South African Weather Service to continue to extend its reach.

Minister Molewa frequently expressed her satisfaction and pride about SAWS’ participation in international bodies. These include the World Meteorological Organization, the International Civil Aviation Organization; our responsibilities in terms of the Convention on the Safety of Life at Sea; our role as Regional Training Centre; a Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre; a Global Producing Centre for Long Range Forecasts; a Global Information System Centre as well as the prominent role played by SAWS in the Meteorological Association of Southern Africa (MASA).

The SAWS-WMO Severe Weather Forecast Demonstration Project for all SADC members added to her pride of the work being done. The project which had the Minister’s support and encouragement has improved the lead-time and reliability for alerts and warnings about highimpact events such as heavy rain, strong winds and high waves. It strengthened engagement with, for instance, the media, disaster management and civil protection agencies and local communities ensuring improved disaster risk reduction (DRR) and decision-making by users. The project has benefitted socio-economic sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, aviation and marine transportation.

The South African Weather Service has lost the support of a passionate, dedicated and hardworking giant in Dr Edna Molewa. We will dearly miss our hands-on Minister, who was one of the most weather-SMART people we had come to know. May her soul rest in peace.