Cogta minister wants KZN, EC and WC to join forces to fight natural disasters

Co-operative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) minister Velenkosini Hlabisa wants KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape to work together to fight natural disasters.

Hlabisa visited KwaZulu-Natal on Wednesday after raging veld fires recently claimed 14 lives. All three provinces have been devastated by floods, veld fires and torrential rains in recent months.

He is expected to visit the families of six Boston firefighters who died in the Midlands on Sunday.

“If you are dealing with fatigue, your reading of the winds can be limited, and you can’t relieve other people if you have limited resources. We hope later we will be joined by other provinces. This will ensure that all the resources are mobilised,” said Hlabisa.

He said he would like to see a memorandum of understanding involving the three provinces and hoped to mobilise the private sector to pitch in.

“When a disaster strikes a province, we just press a button. It will be easier because when disaster strikes, it affects everybody,” said Hlabisa.

He was accompanied by his deputy Dickson Masemola, KZN premier Thami Ntuli, Cogta MEC Thulasizwe Buthelezi, uMngeni Mayor Chris Pappas and Msunduzi deputy mayor Mxolisi Mkhize.

Three firefighters, Nonsikelelo Zuma, Khethiwe Ngcobo and Ntombikhona Nxele, died while fighting a fire on a farm in Mpophomeni outside Pietermaritzburg, while Vusi Hudula, Bongiwe Shishane and Nomfundo Shishane died in hospital a short while later.

Hlabisa said the government was yet to make a determination on whether the province should receive disaster status. He said the department will motivate for a disaster grant but was mindful that some municipalities were tempted to use such grants for other needs.

The acting head of department at the KZN's provincial Cogta, Barbara Mgutshini, said they relied on the South African Weather Service to provide alerts about events which could trigger a natural disaster, including floods, cold fronts or hot and dry conditions.

“We started receiving alerts from July 7 and we alerted our partners, including Eskom who issued their own alert, and the municipalities,” said Mgutshini.

Mgutshini said the incidents between July 6 and 14 claimed 14 lives in the province.

uMgungundlovu municipality had the most deaths and an estimated loss of about R90m.

Ntuli said while he acknowledged July was fire season, he was concerned by the scale and frequency of the fires. He said the province had not recovered from the April 2022 floods.

“The estimated damage resulting from the floods runs into billions, which is money we do not have. The damage from the veld fires started two weeks ago was more than R90m,” he said.

He said he had spoken to provincial police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, who assured him police would investigate some of the fires, while Cogta would enhance its awareness programmes.

“The disaster fund has been depleted just three months into the new (2024/25) financial year,” said Ntuli.

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