President Cyril Ramaphosa says leadership must be visible and present when communities are in distress, as government intensifies its response to devastating floods that have led to loss of life, destroyed infrastructure, displaced families and disrupted schooling across several provinces.
The President was speaking to the media during his visit to the Nkomazi Local Municipality in Mpumalanga to assess the extent of the damage caused by severe weather, following the classification of the recent floods as a national disaster by the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC).
“It's important that, as leaders, we should be able to go and meet our people and see exactly what has befallen them. And that's the important thing, because when people are in need, they want to have a sense that those that they have elected in key positions are there with them,” the President said on Monday.
The visit comes after the National Disaster Management Centre classified the recent inclement weather affecting Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape as a national disaster, following loss of life, extensive damage to infrastructure and property, environmental degradation, displacement of communities and disruption to schooling and economic activities.
The President said he had received regular updates from Mpumalanga Premier Mandla Ndlovu and members of the provincial executive, who have been engaging affected communities and reporting on conditions on the ground.
“It is for that reason that I felt that I should come to give them support, and also to assess precisely what's happening here [and] at a national level,” the President said.
President Ramaphosa noted that roads had been destroyed, children were unable to attend school, houses had been washed away and critical infrastructure damaged.
“The roads are destroyed. Children cannot go to school, and houses have been washed away, and valuable infrastructure has been damaged, so that is precisely what we're going to be looking at closely,” he said.
He said national government, including the inter-ministerial committee on disaster management, is engaged in discussions on the required interventions, while the Minister of Finance who is currently in Davos is also being briefed on the situation.
The President commended first responders for their swift action in affected areas.
“We are also grateful that our rescue and quick response agencies have been really up to the task. They have responded extremely well the South African National Defence Force, as well as the emergency services here in the province at local government level,” he said.
President Ramaphosa said the frequency and intensity of disasters linked to climate change require government to strengthen its disaster response capabilities.
“We're now in an era where climate change is quite evident to everyone, and we are now developing our own disaster responses so that when we have disasters like these floods and fires and other forms of disasters, we are able to respond as quickly and as effectively as possible,” he said.
He stressed that saving lives remains government’s primary focus.
“With all this, the paramount issue that we focus on is to save lives because loss of life is what affects households and families very badly,” he said.
The President also reiterated South Africa’s call for climate finance to assist countries in the Global South that bear the brunt of climate change.
“... We need finance because once there's been damage like this, we need finance, almost on an annual basis now, to recover,” he said.
Responding to questions about the pace of government’s response and the issuing of early warnings, President Ramaphosa acknowledged the need for improvement.
“With disasters, we can always do better, because when disaster [befalls] an area or households, we need to respond quickly,” he said.
He added that long-term solutions include improved town planning and stricter enforcement of municipal bylaws to prevent settlements in flood-prone areas.
“We now need to increase our town planning capability and get more young people to take up the town planning course, but also get our municipalities to enforce those bylaws,” he said.
On regional support efforts, President Ramaphosa confirmed that South Africa has provided assistance to Mozambique, which is also experiencing severe flooding.
“They have asked South Africa to help them… we have loaned them. We've sent some air assistance, like helicopters, to assist them for a number of days,” he said.
The President also expressed deep distress over the scholar transport accident that claimed the lives of 13 learners in the Vaal area earlier in the day.
“I'm devastated myself to hear right at the beginning of the year that 13 children in one go have lost their lives,” he said.
He emphasised the importance of safety in the scholar transport system, including vehicle condition, driver behaviour and compliance with road safety standards.
President Ramaphosa said his thoughts remain with families who have lost loved ones, those injured, and communities affected by the floods and recent tragedies.
He will continue to monitor the disaster response alongside provincial leadership, senior government officials and representatives of the National Disaster Management Centre. – SAnews.gov.za
