1. Report of the Portfolio Committee on Provincial and Local Government on an Oversight visit to Oudtshoorn, dated 7 November 2006:
The Portfolio Committee on Provincial and Local Government, having undertaken an oversight visit to Oudtshoorn, reports as follows:
A. Introduction
During the Peoples Assembly 2006 held in Oudtshoorn from 14 – 15 September 2006, Committees were requested to do oversight visits with relevant bodies. A delegation from the Portfolio Committee on Provincial and Local Government, the Select Committee on Local Government and Administration and the Select Committee on Finance undertook an oversight visit to the Oudtshoorn Local Municipality on Thursday, 14 September 2006. The aim of the oversight visit was to interact with the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Municipal Manager, Councillors and Senior Managers of the municipality and interact with the Women’s Empowerment Project in Oudtshoorn.
The People’s Assembly 2006 took place under the theme "All Shall Have Equal Rights." Issues addressed by the People’s Assembly 2006 included:
Rural Women’s participation in the economy.
The impact of legislation dealing with unlawful discrimination against people with disabilities: How far have we come?
The rights of the child: Child labour with a specific focus of children on farms.
The main objective of the People’s Assembly 2006 was:
To mark the tenth anniversary of the Constitution.
To take stock of Parliament’s constitutional role of passing laws that seeks to address and redress issues of inequalities.
To provide a vehicle for peoples’ voices to be heard on issues affecting them.
However, for the Committee, the main focus of the interaction was to understand the functioning of the municipality in respect of all relevant legislation, the functioning of the ward committees and impact of the projects on the community, resource utilization and assistance from the municipality and the private sector.
The delegation from the Portfolio Committee on Provincial and Local Government comprised of Mr S Mshudulu, Mr I Mogase, Mrs M Gumede, Mr G Phadagi, Mr W Doman and Mr M Swathe. Mr S Shiceka and Mr E Sogoni represented the Select Committee on Local Government and Administration and the Select Committee on Finance respectively.
B. Interaction with the Oudtshoorn Local Municipality
1. The meeting was convened in the Municipal Chambers of the Oudtshoorn Local Municipality and was attended by the delegation and Deputy-Minister N Hangana.
Members of the Oudtshoorn Local Municipality - Mr J Swartbooi: Executive Mayor, Mr J Swiggelaar: Deputy Executive Mayor, Mr M May: Municipal Manager, Mr C Van Der Mescht: Housing, Mr G Juthe, Councillor B Blaauw, Councillor A Lekay.
The Deputy Minister thanked the Mayor for hosting the meeting and explained that the delegation was there to interact with officials from the Oudtshoorn Municipality – to understand the difficulties and challenges being faced by the municipality and how the committees could be of assistance.
The Municipal Manager gave the Committee a broad overview of the municipality, a profile of all wards, the challenges in respect of unemployment, poverty alleviation, training, the impact of ostrich farming in the area and the budget. The Municipal Manager also touched on the various initiatives being undertaken by the municipality. The housing project was well underway and about 600 units had already been completed. He explained the long delay in obtaining the Environmental Impact Assessment Report for the country estate and golf course development and appealed to the Committee for assistance in this regard. The country estate would give the community a boost in terms of job creation and other positive spin-offs. He also indicated that the recent flooding had put a heavy strain on the municipal infrastructure and the area was declared a disaster area. The municipality desperately needed more funds to address this issue. The municipality had its audit committee and necessary procurement policies in place.
Members questions centred on the following:
service delivery i.r.o water and sanitation
debt collection
the impact of ostrich farming in the community
training and empowerment
staff appointments, demographics and performance contracts
valuation of properties i.r.o the Property Rates Act
the status of the housing challenges in Dyseldorp
5. The Municipal Manager explained that they had completed a capacity questionnaire to assess capacity of municipalities. They worked closely with the District Municipality and received valuable support from the district. All documentation was electronic with an electronic filing system also in place. The restructuring process in the municipality was completed with issues relating to women, youth and disabled being addressed by the social directorate. Mention was made of the Aids Rehabilitation Centre being managed by an NGO on behalf of the municipality. A document was in place to deal with the indigent and the issue of powers and functions. A water tariff structure was also in place with special focus on the indigent. The revenue collection rate currently stood at 92% for the municipality. The municipality had received money from the provincial department of housing to address the housing problems in Dyseldorp and the councils had secured money in their budgets to alleviate the ablution problem. The new valuation role was to be implemented in July 2008 and a transport plan had been adopted by the District Municipality for implementation. There were many old bylaws that needed to be addressed.
C. Interaction with Community Members/Women’s Empowerment Group Members
1. The delegation held a community meeting at the Bridgeton Community Hall with members of the community and members of the Women’s Empowerment Group of Oudtshoorn. These members were given a chance to highlight problems and challenges they were facing with the municipality and councillors of the area. Most of the issues centred on the following:
irregularities and the perceived discrimination in the awarding of contracts and the tender process
policies in respect of women, youth and persons with disabilities
monies made available for projects was taking too long to reach the intended beneficiaries
policies in respect of the indigent
inaccessibility of councilors
the language policy of the municipality
nepotism with appointments to vacant posts
housing problems in Dysselsdorp and filthiness of townships
poverty and unemployment
2. A member of the delegation explained that they were informed that all was well and functioning and challenges were being addressed by the municipality. After hearing from the community - this did not seem to be the case. The delegation promised the community that they would secure an urgent meeting with the Mayor’s Office immediately to seek answers on the issues raised. The delegation thanked the community for their time and effort.
D. Follow-up Interaction with the Oudtshoorn Local Municipality
1. Present at the meeting was the delegation and members of the Oudtshoorn Local Municipality which included Mr J Swartbooi: Executive Mayor, Mr J Swiggelaar: Deputy Executive Mayor, Mr P Nel: Speaker, Councillor Ms R Le Kay, Councillor C Stemmet, Councillor G April, Councillor E Fortune, Councillor J Coetzee, Councillor D De Jager, Councillor N Gunguluza, Councillor M May, Councillor B Pannas, Councillor G Phillips, Councillor K Witon, Councillor J Harmse, Councillor N Soman, Councillor B Blaauw, Councillor E Ngalo, Councillor S Billy, Councillor C Ngalo, Councillor L Lamprecht, Councillor J Olivier, Councillor S Biljohn, Mr B Vermaak, Mr K Lubbe, Ms E September, Mr C Ceaser, Mr R Jullies and Mr N Oosthuizen.
The reason for the meeting was to give the council some feedback on the meeting held with the community earlier in the day. It was mentioned that there was a host of concerns raised at the community meeting and Members felt it important to share these with the council with a view of trying to resolve some of the issues raised.
The Chairperson proposed that the Committee work through the list of concerns raised and find a way forward in dealing with them.
4. Language Policy of the Municipality:
It was brought to the attention of the Committee that all correspondence from the municipality was only in Afrikaans. This resulted in communication problems for those councilors who did not understand Afrikaans or who preferred correspondence in at least one other language, preferably English. It was mentioned by a councilor that the translation facilities of the District Municipality had been offered to the municipality but was not acted on. The Speaker and some councilors claimed there was no problems i.r.o language policies while others insisted that the problem did exist.
The Chairperson was of the view that the municipality may have a language policy, but that it was not being implemented. To resolve the issue, the Chairperson ruled that they be supplied with the evidence that the municipal hansard, notices and other correspondence did, in fact, cater for other language groups. If not, the Chairperson requested that correspondence be communicated in English as well.
5. It was agreed that the Committee would arrange a structured follow-up meeting with the Oudtshoorn Municipality in the near future. It may be necessary to invite the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) and the Department of Provincial and Local Government (DPLG) to this meeting.
Recommendation
The Minister for Provincial and Local Government should make available a report on the outcome of the investigation launched by the MEC for Local Government in the Western Cape – to prepare the Committee for a follow-up meeting with the Oudtshoorn Municipality.
Report to be considered.
2. Report of the Portfolio Committee on Provincial and Local Government on an Oversight visit to Provincial Disaster Management Centres, dated 7 November 2006:
The Portfolio Committee on Provincial and Local Government, having undertaken an oversight visit to Provincial Disaster Management Centres, reports as follows:
A. Introduction
During the 2nd Term Programme of the Portfolio Committee on Provincial and Local Government, the Committee held hearings on the state of readiness of municipalities in respect of Disaster Management. At the end of these hearings with a range of provincial disaster management centres, the Committee resolved to visit some of these centres during the 3rd Term to gain an insight into the achievements and challenges being faced by these disaster management centres. The provincial visit took place from 9 – 12 October 2006.
The delegation from the Portfolio Committee on Provincial and Local Government comprised of Mr S L Tsenoli, Mr S A Mshudulu, Mrs M M Gumede, Mr M M S Lekgoro, Mr B Solo and Mr W Doman. Members of the Committee Section staff included Mr L A Brown, the Committee Secretary and Mrs B Madikane, the Committee Assistant.
B. Objectives
The overall purpose of the oversight visit was to give a higher profile to disaster management in government. There was significant progress in respect of infrastructure – but the risk of losing this at great costs financially - and in some instances people as well – remains. The main objective of the visit was to look at the following:
the state of readiness of disaster management in the provinces
the challenges with regard to implementation of the relevant legislation
issues with respect to intergovernmental relations
to look at the joint operations centres – interact with officials from the local district
C. Provincial Disaster Management Centres
1. The provincial disaster management centres visited are in the following provinces - Western Cape, Eastern Cape, North West and Gauteng.
2. Meetings involved a range of stakeholders including local government councillors, government officials, elected and official functionaries.
Present at the meeting were Mrs S Majiet, Head of Department: Local Government and Housing, Mr R Dyantyi, MEC: Local Government and Housing, Mr S Carstens: Disaster Management, Mrs J Pandaram: Disaster Management, Dr W Smith: Emergency Management Services, Mr J Rikhotso: Disaster Management, Cllr D Ximbi: Safety and Security, Mr G Pillay: City of Cape Town Disaster Management Centre, Mr P Adams: Safety and Security, Mr J Minnie: City of Cape Town Disaster Management Centre and Mr G Killian: Department of Provincial and Local Government.
The delegation received a broad profile of the geographical area, statistics and hazards in the Western Cape by Mr S Carstens. He also gave the delegation a historic overview of disaster management in the Western Cape with a breakdown of the identified hazards and a comprehensive risk overview. On implementation of the Disaster Management Act, Mr Carstens gave the delegation a holistic picture of how the centres were progressing at national, provincial, district and local government levels and the legal requirements for the establishment of a disaster management centre in South Africa. He also made mention of the operations of the Emergency Management Centre and information technology software collaboration between the centres. Mr Carstens concluded by briefing the delegation on the areas of concern which included funding, capacity, competency and issues revolving around the hosting of the 2010 World Cup.
Dr W Smith gave the delegation an overview of the Emergency Management Centres and the system in place which included the Control Centre Software, In-Ambulance Software and the In-Hospital Functionality.
The delegation received a presentation on the recent disaster that hit the Eden District Municipal Area in August 2006 with background, intervention, estimated flood damage losses, recovery plans, lessons learned and recommendations.
The delegation then moved to the City of Cape Town Disaster Management Centre in Goodwood for a presentation on their Disaster Risk Management, legislative requirements and the Case Study of the N7 Bridge Informal Settlement fire incident that occurred recently.
a. Cacadu was one of the largest of the six districts, comprised of nine local municipalities and, four district management areas. A Policy Framework for the district was developed in line and in accordance with the National and Provincial Policy frameworks and the first draft is presently circulated for comment. The framework broadly outlines the following:
Institutionalizing the Disaster Risk Management policy and strategies
Risk Reduction Planning
Integrated Disaster Management information system
Awareness campaigns, training and education and research.
A risk analysis of the district as a whole was completed in July 2006 and the remainder of the Disaster Management Plan was scheduled for completion by end 2006.
The centre was relocated during 2005 from Greenbushes outside
Port Elizabeth to Algoa House building situated in Port Elizabeth Central. The present DMC is considered to be temporary as it is envisaged that the offices of Cacadu District Municipality and the Disaster Management Centre will relocate to a new building in Jeffrey’s Bay.
The Disaster Management reports to the office of the Municipal Manager and has a total of 13 staff members.
District Advisory Forum meetings were held three times per annum. The meeting was chaired by the Municipal Manager and attended by officials, politicians, companies, state and provincial departments and other stakeholders. Local Advisory Forum meetings were held at least four times per annum at each of the nine local municipalities in the district. Presently no interdepartmental meetings were held but would be introduced after acceptance of the Policy Framework and Disaster Management Plans.
Projects for 2006/07 included the following:
Compilation and implementation of Disaster Management Response Plans
Workshop on Disaster Management Act in 4 satellite areas
Issuing of Disaster Management equipment to volunteers
Conduct flood awareness campaigns at 6 schools in Ndlambe, Makana and Kouga
Conduct severe weather campaigns at 6 schools in Ndlambe, Makana and Kouga
Provide assistance to disaster affected communities
Purchase electronic Resource Data Base/information system.
Developing and upgrading of two way radio communication system in Cacadu District Municipality
Purchase capital items needed for Disaster Management
Conduct training and education programmes
Facilitate community awareness programmes
Facilitate response and recovery programmes
Fire projects included the following:
Establish basic fire fighting services in DMA
Provide training to at least 10 persons in each of the identified communities
Conduct Fire Awareness campaigns at 10 schools in Cacadu District Municipality area
Establish fire fighting services and assist local municipalities
Ensure sustainable fire services at local municipalities by providing operational support.
Provide fire fighting courses to fire officers and fire fighters
Upgrading of secure buildings to house fire vehicles and assets
h. It was indicated that emergency funding from National or Provincial Government to the district municipality was taking long to reach the affected communities. The SAAB Grid information system was also a challenge in that similar systems were available in South Africa that were already in use, compatible and with competitive pricing. The SAAB Grid offer to the district municipality included a high annual maintenance fee over a very long period of 15 years and an annual increase.
Input by Alfred Nzo District Municipality
The municipality was the poorest compared to the other districts in the Province. Poverty index figures showed that the district stood at 49.9%. Due to demarcation the district was divided into Umzimvubu and Greater Matatiele Municipalities. The delegation was given a brief overview and background to Disaster Management and Fire Service, the establishment of the District Disaster Management and Fire Station and the Disaster Management Satellite Centres and Fire Stations.
Disaster Management was a sub-directorate within the Department of the Office of the Municipal Manager. There were two divisions in the sub-directorate, namely Disaster Management and Fire Services. There was currently a staff complement of 18 with the organogram still being reviewed. There was a concerted effort to build capacity of officials and communities. On the state-of-readiness, the centre was operational 24 hours through the 18 trained volunteers with personnel on standby.
Challenges/difficulties being faced included:
lack of ownership of the programme by municipal entities and organs of state
correct placement of the function
appointment of and clear role and responsibilities of the Head of the Centre
budgeting of the programme by municipalities
insufficient funding for post and disaster recovery phase
lack of appropriate disaster risk management structures
lack of personnel and other resources
lack of political will
re-occurrence of disasters without intervention of the Department of Housing in terms of the Emergency Housing Scheme
a. The municipality was a large Category B Municipality with capacity to address large incidents with nineteen response plans to address most of the disasters which occur in the city. The municipality was currently investigating a service level agreement for Disaster Management to clarify the legal status for the municipality with regard to disaster management.
A draft Disaster Management Framework has been prepared but required the outcomes of the service level agreement before it could be submitted to Council for approval.
Buffalo City had a well equipped centre as well as a sub-centre in King William’s Town. A ward councillor forum had been established and the terms of reference would be submitted to Council shortly. Technical task teams to conduct planning and address prevention and mitigation would be established in 2007. Buffalo City had conducted an indicative risk assessment and was a pilot for the national implementation of the Disaster Management Framework.
Buffalo City Disaster Management Centre participated in the provincial and district advisory forums and had a working relationship with a number of government departments. Joint Operation Centres were established for major events in the city.
5. Input by Ukhahlamba District Municipality
The district disaster management centre was established and was in full operation on normal working hours. Disaster Risk Management Satellite Centres were established throughout the district in all four local municipalities. The Disaster Risk Management Unit had seven personnel. Volunteers were trained in all four local municipal areas and used in times of disaster. District and Local Disaster Risk Management Advisory Forums have been established and were continuing successfully.
The District also had a senior fire officer employed for all fire related matters with an office in Barkley East. Volunteers and members of the local municipality were assisting with fire fighting services in their respective municipal areas. These volunteers were multi-skilled as they were trained for both disaster risk and fire fighting. Two medium fire fighting trucks had been purchased and have been deployed at the Maletswai municipal area and one in the Elundini area. There were plans to purchase two medium fire fighting trucks in the next financial year.
The Disaster Management Act was being implemented successfully in some areas, but the Centre had embarked on an awareness campaign to inform the Sector Departments, CBO’s, NGO’s, Local Municipalities and the community at large about the Act. Disaster Risk Management By-Laws were being formulated for the District.
The placement of the unit has always been a concern and discussions were held regarding the matter, but no response has been satisfactory. The District was in the process of establishing a District Disaster Risk Management Policy Framework and consultants have been used to assist.
Relations with Government Sector Departments have been established and strengthened through the Disaster Risk Management Advisory Forums. The District was facilitating the development of cross-border relations with neighbouring district municipalities and local municipalities to assist one another during emergencies.
6. Input by O R Tambo District Municipality
The Disaster Risk Management Centre was provisionally housed at the O R Tambo House in Myezo Park. Plans to build a new Centre were at an advanced stage but funding was a huge challenge. This new Centre was expected to encompass fire fighting services. The main Centre was staffed by nine personnel and it was envisaged that the Centre would operate on a 24-hour basis as of November 2006.
Seven Satellite Centres had been established but infrastructure in the form of offices was a challenge in all Satellite Centres – the exception being the Mhlontlo Satellite Centre where the municipality was very co-operative in assisting with office accommodation and the Ntabankulu Satellite Centre where the District Municipality had given support. Each of the Satellite Centres had been issued with a suitable disaster response vehicle.
The Centre had, through the assistance of a service provider, produced a draft risk management policy framework. Consultation with local municipalities would start at the beginning of November 2006 and it was expected that by the end of December 2006 consultation would have been finalised and adopted by Council in 2007.
The Disaster Risk Management Advisory Forum created a platform for enhancing intergovernmental relations as it was attended by provincial organs of state, NGO’s, CBO’s and the Provincial Disaster Risk Management Centre.
The main challenge remained funding, especially for commissioning scientific risk and vulnerability assessment.
7. Input by Chris Hani District Municipality
The first draft of the District Disaster Management Framework was available and out for comment within the institution. Policy in respect of response, relief and rehabilitation had been drafted and submitted to the policy committee. The District had embarked on an intensive education and awareness programme including schools. Volunteers had been trained in first aid, fundamentals of disaster management and fire fighting. Municipal officials and councillors have also been trained in disaster risk management planning, fundamentals of disaster risk management planning and emergency trauma response.
The Centre was an active member of Provincial Disaster Management Advisory Forum, Eastern Cape Emergency Services Co-ordinating Committee, Disaster Management Institute of Southern Africa and the District Disaster Management Advisory Forum. A partnership with the Department of Education, Sport and Recreation and Culture had been established.
The District still needed to address the following challenges:
Availability of at least level 1 plans before the end of 2005/2006 financial year
Availability of guidelines on education and awareness programmes
Strengthening of existing and establishment of partnerships with role players and stakeholders
Availability of clear cross-boundary agreements with neighbouring districts
Funding for the programme
Adequate personnel for the Centre
Support/co-operation by departments internally and externally
Funding for a reconstruction programme
Present at the meeting were Mr P Siko: Department of Local Government and Housing, Mr M Mosiane: Department of Local Government and Housing, Mr G Kwena: Centre for Disaster Management, Mr M Jacobs, Mr L Williams: Department of Provincial and Local Government, Mr T Watson-Thomas: Department of Local Government and Housing, Mr H Bezuidenhour: Disaster Management, Mr M Skweit: Greater Taung Local Municipality, Ms B Madumo: Greater Taung Local Municipality, Ms B Mogakwe: Greater Taung Local Municipality, Ms A Maepe: Greater Taung Local Municipality, Councillr O Oliphant, Mr T Msimang: Department of Local Government and Housing, Mr R Lesar: Southern District Municipality, Mr P Monare: Bonjanala District Municipality and Mr P Dyonase: Department of Local Government and Housing.
Input by North West Province
The National Disaster Management Act 57 of 2002 was implemented at National and Provincial level from 1 April 2004 and at District Municipality and Local Municipality level as of the 1 July 2004. All implementers from National to Local had two years in which to fully implement the Act at their level of responsibilities.
The Disaster Management Centre has been established and was fairly functional and continues to improve. The head of the centre had been appointed in an acting position. Until the start-up grant from DPLG is granted to the District Municipalities there will only be progress where funds have been transferred from Province. Some municipalities, which have structures in place from the old Civil Protection, have continued to operate but only from within the old municipal boundaries due to financial constraints.
Southern District Municipality - Has started its Disaster Management structure and appointed a permanent member of staff to act as the disaster co-coordinator. A disaster management forum within the district municipality has been established with disaster management plans currently being developed with the "Grant in Aid" from the province.
Bophirima District Municipality - This District Municipality is an example of how Disaster Management structures should be operating by this time. The Municipality has over the past 4 years established all necessary structures in the way of control centers and forums on all levels. It has incorporated all the previously rural Disaster Management structures into the municipalities and have brought in all relevant role-plays on political and operational level. It is yet to expand their forum to include the line functionaries from within the District Municipality structure. It has already commenced on an intensive training programme for volunteers from the informal sector as well as farm labourers in both fire fighting and first aid.
Bojanala Platinum District Municipality - All structures were in place and fully operational in the district. New structures were being established in the areas not formally covered, such as Moses-Kotane and Moretele. In addition the municipalities were aligning their operations to incorporate the new boundaries.
Central District Municipality - This District Municipality has employed a permanent member of staff to work as the Disaster Management coordinator. Structures have not yet been established. The district council has not as yet prioritized their Disaster Management in the IDP. Disaster Management plans were not yet finalised.
Current challenges faced were that there were no adequate funds for Province, District and Local Municipalities for effective Disaster Management Process. There was inadequate commitment from councils and lack of prioritization of disaster management. The placement of the centre and disaster management seen as a non-core function thus perpetuating a perception that this was money down the drain.
Input by Greater Taung Local Municipality on Recent Flooding Disaster
The average yearly rainfall for the area was 418 mm, with the western part of Greater Taung Local Municipality having been in various level of flooding since 20 February 2006. The Greater Taung Local Municipality had for the period January to June 2006 received on average 1380 mm of rain. The extent of the flooding was equal to a 1 in 50 year flood and seriously affected 12 villages in Greater Taung Local Municipality. Due to the serious affect that the floods had on the population of these villages, the Greater Taung Local Municipality regarded it as its duty to intervene in the affected area. To mitigate the effect of the flooding on the population of the villages, the Municipality by means of its Disaster Management Structures started to distribute disaster relief to affected households in the form of tents, blankets and emergency food supplies.
The Tamasikwa Bridge was seriously damaged and will have to be rebuilt. The Moretele Bridge, Matlapaneng Bridge and Choseng Bridge and approximately 60 km of rural road needs to be rehabilitated. The Reivilo-Lykso road has been seriously damaged and will need to be reconstructed. The cost to repair the road infrastructure could be in the region of R 41 000 000.00.
A total of 1032 houses have, since February 2006, collapsed or have serious structural damage and will have to be rebuilt. Approximately 700 households were currently living in disaster management supplied tents. To replace these houses using the Peoples Housing Process could cost approximately R 35 000 000.00. The North West Department of housing has approved 2000 houses to replace damaged houses.
The 12 affected villages were cut off from clinics with clinic personnel being airlifted into the affected villages. Seriously ill and near term pregnant woman were evacuated to hospitals. Accessibility of villages by mobile clinic staff remained problematic in the Dry Harts area. The bad conditions of rural roads had serious consequences for rural households.
Water supply in the affected villages has been polluted - increasing the cases of diarrhea. Measures have been taken to educate the local populations on how to decontaminate their drinking water using "Jik" and boiling water. All bore holes in the areas that supplied water has been tested. Water supplies in the Vaaltyn, Tamasikwa and Letlhapong areas have been polluted by E-coli and coli forms. Sedibeng Water has introduced measures to provide safe water including putting up water tanks in the affected areas.
The Department of Social Services has been struggling to deliver social service payments in the affected areas due to continuous heavy flooding. Even when social grants are paid, communities have problems to reach shops to buy supplies due to the bad condition of roads.
The rural farming areas have been severely affected (approximately 54 horses, 43 cattle, 31 goats and 145 sheep have died). Commercial areas have lost 117 cattle, 24 horses 395 sheep and 17 goats. Animal diseases were wide spread and foot rot amongst sheep was a problem. Irrigation pivots along the Harts River had been flooded causing millions of rands worth of damage. Schools have been severely disrupted by the floods and teachers and scholars were cut of from their schools causing disruptions the last three weeks.
Medium Term Intervention Proposals included the following:
Emergency repairs be done on roads and bridges to connect communities to service centers.
Sedibeng Water implements immediate measures to provide safe water.
The Department of Agriculture destroy dead animal carcasses and assist in preventing animal diseases.
The Heath Department continues to provide immediate mobile health services.
The Department of Social Services implement measures to continue providing social services in the affected area.
Disaster relief be continued into affected areas until the situation normalised.
An immediate assessment of housing damages is conducted to start an emergency housing project before winter.
Sewer problems be attended to and an assessment be done of the damages done to public infrastructure.
The Greater Taung Local Municipality received approximately 150 tones of food that was distributed to approximately 5200 households. 373 Bags of clothing was also distributed to different communities. The final distribution of food and clothing was completed on the 27 of July 2006. Some late donations of food and clothes were still being received.
Long Term Intervention Proposals included the following:
Relocation of communities away from flood prone areas as identified in the Spatial framework of the GTLM.
Proper planning for relocation of houses and reconstruction of roads and bridges and other damaged infrastructure.
Housing scheme to replace damaged housing and that an alternative site for relocation of communities in flood plains be identified.
The Department of Local Government and Housing in North West had approved an emergency housing project of 2000 houses to replace damaged and destroyed houses to the value of R 82 000 000.00. The need for proper planning of infrastructure for the new housing had delayed the start of the emergency housing project. A contractor was appointed by the Department to construct the 2000 houses.
To repair municipal access roads, National Government had approved R 11 400 000.00 for repairs to municipal road infrastructure. This money was to be structured through the MIG grant and had to be spent by March 2007. The project managers had been appointed and tenders were allocated. Another R 14 000 000.00 was to be spent on provincial roads by the Department of Public Works.
The Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA) had donated R 500 000.00 to help victims of the flood disaster to rebuild their houses. A total of R 1 300 000.00 received for the Greater Taung Disaster Fund was used to benefit the seriously affected areas with Local Economic Development Projects run from the office of the Mayor to address the high unemployment in the affected areas.
G. Provincial Disaster Management Centre, Ekurhuleni Disaster Centre, Gauteng – Thursday, 12 October 2006
The Provincial Disaster Management Forum (PDMAF) must make recommendations to the Disaster Management Centre and act in an advisory capacity with regard to matters pertaining to disaster risk management. The Forum is also required to support the programmes of the Disaster Management Centre by providing technical expertise.
The PDMAF should further play a role in drafting disaster risk management plans, promoting joint standards of practice, develop the information management and communication systems and advise and make recommendations on training and public awareness.
The structure of the Provincial Disaster Management Framework comprises four key performance areas namely:
Institutional Capacity for Disaster Risk
Risk Assessment
Risk Reduction’
Response and Recovery
The three enablers being:
Information Management and Communication
Education, Training, Public Awareness and Research
Funding
During an incident, numerous procedures and administrative functions are required to support incident management. The actions described in the support functions are not limited to particular types of events but are overarching in nature and applicable to nearly every type of incident.
Emergency Support Functions (ESF) identifies ESF coordinators and the primary and support agencies pertinent to the ESF. Several ESFs incorporate multiple components, with primary agencies designated for each component to ensure integration f and transition between preparedness, prevention, response, recovery and mitigation activities.
Support agencies are responsible for conducting operations using their own authorities, subject matter experts, capabilities and resources. They also participate in planning for short-term and long-term incident management and recovery operations and assist in the conduct of situational assessment.
Risk Specific strategies pertaining to each disaster class have been developed. Priority risks have been identified and include floods, fires in informal settlements, dolomite sinkhole formation, undermining of inhabited areas, major chemical industry risk and incidence of motor vehicle accidents.
The Gauteng Disaster Management Centre will monitor a range of networks and services which include local authorities, Gauteng EMS, SAPS and Private Dispatch Centres.
The final comments on the Disaster Management Plan from all stakeholders have been completed and forwarded to the MEC for approval. Identification and implementation of Emergency Support Functions has also been completed.
Funds have been made available for a Disaster Management Centre for Gauteng and should be completed in 2007.
Observations
There is a need for the Committee to arrange a joint meeting with the Department of Provincial and Local Government and National Treasury on issues of adequate start-up grants at all levels and adequate resourcing for disaster management at all spheres of government.
The Department of Provincial and Local Government should ensure that councillors and public representatives across all 3 spheres must form a key part of mobilisation for training in respect of disaster management.
The Committee should complete its oversight visits on the implementation of the Disaster Management Act by provincial, district and local areas – and visit the remaining provinces.
Recommendations
The Department of Provincial and Local Government should ensure that Disaster Management is afforded a higher priority at all spheres of government and be reflected in the Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) as required by law.
The Department of Provincial and Local Government should conduct capacity building and awareness workshops across all spheres for political support for disaster management.
The Department of Provincial and Local Government should develop an evaluation and monitoring mechanism to gauge disaster management preparedness across all spheres.