Durban: The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting families affected by recent storms and strong winds, emphasizing the need for accelerated recovery efforts and long-term strategies to mitigate climate risks. Authorities have also urged citizens to remain vigilant, adhere to official warnings, and promptly report any hazards during adverse weather conditions.
According to South African Government News Agency, Velenkosini Hlabisa, the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), along with KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli, visited the Impendle Local Municipality to assess the damage caused by recent extreme weather. The severe conditions displaced hundreds of residents, prompting a Level 5 weather warning from the South African Weather Service (SAWS) last week.
Impendle suffered significant damage from heavy windstorms that ravaged homes and community infrastructure. The department reported that 140 households were affected, with 58 homes destroyed and 137 others partially damaged. Approximately 962 people were directly impacted, with 31 families currently displaced and relying on relatives and neighbors for shelter.
The hardest-hit communities span five wards, prompting disaster management teams from local, district, and provincial levels to be deployed to the area. Relief efforts are underway, providing temporary shelter, food parcels, and monetary vouchers to affected families, with community members contributing to the support.
Hlabisa praised the rapid coordination among different government spheres and emphasized the need for long-term resilience measures, stating, “What we are seeing here must push us to improve our response systems and build safer communities. We must not only rebuild but rebuild better.” Premier Ntuli echoed the call for proactive planning, describing the disaster as a “wake-up call” and urging for more resilient systems to protect lives and livelihoods.
Government leaders interacted with community members and disaster teams to address immediate needs and develop informed medium- to long-term recovery plans. They also extended condolences to the families of two individuals who lost their lives in eThekwini due to storm-related incidents and sympathized with the families of 12 people who died in a road accident in KwaZulu-Natal during the same period.
The department noted that the province continues to experience increasingly frequent and severe weather patterns, attributed to the growing impact of climate change. Consequently, the National Disaster Management Centre has been tasked with conducting comprehensive vulnerability assessments nationwide to inform targeted early warning systems, resilient infrastructure plans, and proactive community risk management.
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent visit to Mthatha in the Eastern Cape underscored the urgency of addressing climate change. The area has suffered devastating floods that claimed about 90 lives and caused extensive damage to homes, government facilities, roads, hospitals, and schools.