Govt to use District Development Model to help rebuild after flooding, landslides

THE declaration of a National State of Disaster, an elevation from a Provincial State of Disaster, will enable a coordinated and integrated response to the severe weather events – the heavy rains, flooding, landslides and intense winds – that have impacted KwaZulu-Natal, and to a lesser extent the Eastern Cape and other provinces.

This was highlighted by Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, during a media briefing on April 19, following an address by President Cyril Ramaphosa the previous day.

Dlamini-Zuma said the floods were the worst experienced for the country in living memory. For example, over a 24-hour period, KwaZulu-Natal received 300 mm to 400 mm of rainfall. For scale, during its wettest month of February, only 120 mm was recorded for the entire month.

She said this showed that climate change was occurring, with the impacts already being felt – with scientists having warned