Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning

1. Planning plays a pivotal role in ensuring a rapid, effective and coordinated response to any major emergency/incident that occurs. The Department of Local Government, through the Western Cape Disaster Management Centre (WCDMC) co-ordinates the planning efforts between provincial departments and municipalities in the Western Cape province.  For the current winter season, the WCDMC commenced planning in February 2025, whereby local municipalities were requested to ensure the necessary planning is carried out and plans were duly submitted to the WCDMC.  These plans were collated and submitted in turn to the National Disaster Management Centre.

The Western Cape Disaster Management Centre does have a Preparedness, Response and Recovery Plan which speaks to generic responses to incidents and emergencies which includes a flood response.  The National Department of Water Affairs and Forestry bears primary responsibility in the case of riverine floods and dam management.

Preparedness and response to urban flooding is the responsibility of local municipalities; therefore, the City of Cape Town and Municipalities have the necessary flood contingency plans in place, either forming part of their winter readiness planning and/or incorporated into their disaster management plan.

A Disaster Management Learning Programme has been developed and is being rolled out to capacitate municipal officials in the various aspects of Disaster Management. The programme is in the form of 16 short course of which 5 have taken place. These courses are designed to provide officials with practical ways to implement Disaster Management in their municipalities. For example, in April, a short course was provided to 50 officials on Early Warnings to teach the officials how to establish early warning mechanisms in their municipalities and in June, a course on awareness and training will be facilitated to teach municipal officials how to develop and implement awareness and training programmes in their communities. 

         (b) Provincial mitigation and preparedness measures include the following:

• Early weather warning systems provided by the South African Weather Services (SAWS) ensure flood awareness and targeted information dissemination based on severe weather warnings throughout the province;
• Impact Based Severe Weather Warnings received from SAWS are also distributed to municipalities and departments to alert them of impending weather. Dependent of the level of the warning, the warning with preparedness messages is posted on Facebook to alert communities.
• Flood awareness materials have been developed to educate communities about what to do before, during and after a flood. These materials are provided to municipalities to support them with their awareness initiatives.
• A Community Resilience Building training programme has been developed to educate isolated communities how to prevent and respond to fires and floods in the time it takes for emergency services to arrive in these remote communities.
• Partnering and financially supporting the National Sea Rescue Institute and Lifesaving Western Cape, who play a vital role in response and rescue capability;
• Partnering with NGOs and volunteer organisations such as Search and Rescue South Africa (SARZA);
• Funded Garden Route District to ensure response to incidents involving flooding/swift water rescues;
• These collaborative efforts aim to enhance the resilience of communities in the Western Cape;
• Western Cape Disaster Management Centre is in a state of readiness for any eventuality; and
• The Department of Local Government through the Western Cape Disaster Management Centre also mobilizes provincial resources and infrastructure in support of municipal efforts and facilitates coordination between municipalities, sectors and national agencies.

        Municipal mitigation and preparedness activities include the following:

• Provision of sand/milling;
• Clearing of rivers/bridges/drains/ponds/canals/culverts;
• Advising informal settlement residents to dig trenches around dwellings to divert rainwater;
• Rehabilitation of access roads at vulnerable informal settlements;
• Health and hygiene promotion around stagnant rainwater;
• Ensuring that an acceptable level of cleanliness is maintained to prevent drain blockages;
• Elevation of toilet facilities within the low-lying informal settlements areas are identified for placement on high grounds;
• Trimming of trees to prevent damage from strong winds and avoid service disruptions;
• Awareness raising of low-lying informal settlements of flood risk;
• Flood-wise public education and awareness;
• Opening of estuaries in flood-prone coastal areas; and
• Municipal services are always on standby to be activated in the event of a serious incident associated with adverse weather conditions.