The swathe of devastation that cut through Tongaat on the KwaZulu-Natal north coast last month was yet another catastrophic reminder of the consequences of climate change.
Kaitano Dube, a Vaal University of Technology geographer who has investigated tourism, extreme weather and climatic threats, says in the past two years and 2024 in particular, temperatures have reached record highs.
Human-induced climate change is a key driver in the increase in these extreme weather events and in Southern Africa and South Africa, areas from Tongaat to Stellenbosch have borne the brunt.
No longer restricted to the domain of tree-hugging greenies who for years sounded alarm bells of the impending doomsday consequences of the increase in carbon emissions and rise in global temperatures, the extreme weather phenomenon doesn’t discriminate.
From sea storms to tropical cyclones, heatwaves and wildfires, and flooding to tornadoes — these horrific disasters previously watched at the movies or during international news coverage of monsoons and hurricanes, are now battering South Africa, leaving hundreds of thousands homeless, claiming hundreds of lives and racking up billions of rand in damages to infrastructure and the economy.
KwaZulu-Natal was still recovering from the April 2022 floods — which claimed at least 435 people lives and caused about R17bn in damages — when the province was hit hard again in April, destroying holiday homes, beaches and tourism infrastructure.
Western Cape residents are still reeling from a level 8 deluge and intense cold front that brought flooding and gale-force winds, which have affected at least 100,000 people, damaged 33,000 structures and claimed the life of a man who drowned after falling into a canal in Cape Town. The heavy snow blocked mountain passes, forced scores of schools, some clinics and roads to close as thousands of residents were left without electricity.
While there was no respite from the bitter cold and torrential rains, across the coast in KwaZulu-Natal , fire and emergency services were chasing runaway fires — brought on by extremely dry and hot conditions — in which six firefighters lost their lives. This brought the total number of lives lost recently due to runaway fires in the province to 13.
Local government disaster management teams and executives have responded, but the national death toll from climate change disasters hangs over us like a curtain of shame.
On Monday,President Cyril Ramaphosa announced an upcoming seminar on financing the country’s climate actions which will ensure the economy is resilient in the face of climate change.
Hosted by National Treasury, the event will bring together the presidential climate commission, government representatives, industry, academia, climate experts and development partners this week to chart a way of scaling up climate action across the economy.
But how are we still in seminar stage when the harsh realities are literally raining down on us, and have been for at least two devastating years? The dire effects on water and food security, public infrastructure, human settlements, healthcare and education can’t afford further strain.
Experts like Dube have been beating the drum for years. Infrastructure and buildings must be designed for climate resilience, especially in areas prone to flooding. Urban planners must take into account calculations of the maximum probable floods for specific areas. Building codes have to be adjusted to respond to new climate scenarios.
These adaptation measures must be supported by a robust early warning system to reduce losses. Appropriate disaster and business insurance must be set up to ensure that tourism businesses can recover from climate disasters. This has to be backed by progressive policies and technology that are aimed at building climate change resilience.
Government’s response time has to mimic the emergency responders who react to these catastrophic disasters fast and furiously.
The pupils whose schools were torn down by the tornado, which hit during the school holidays, and who were greeted by disaster when school resumed, deserve better. Thousands of businesses that were flooded and will surely go under because they won’t be able to recoup their losses, deserve better. And our public purse deserves better.
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