Key Takeaways
- The national Department of Human Settlements has identified specific disaster hotspot areas across South Africa that have experienced repeated flooding and storm incidents.
- The Western Cape has the highest concentration of identified disaster hotspots, with eight areas requiring regular emergency interventions.
- Provinces are preparing for a La Niña summer with increased rainfall, which is expected to exacerbate flooding in certain areas.
- The department has guaranteed 48-hour response times once disasters are reported, but the identification of hotspots has not led to preventive measures.
- Infrastructure failures, such as poor maintenance of storm water drainage systems, have worsened flood impact in multiple provinces.
Introduction to Flooding Hotspots
The national Department of Human Settlements has identified specific disaster hotspot areas across South Africa that have experienced repeated flooding and storm incidents, requiring multiple emergency responses year after year. Deputy Director-General of Affordable, Rental and Social Housing in human settlements, Ngaka Dumalisile, presented the list of hotspots to parliament’s portfolio committee on human settlements. The provinces are preparing for what meteorologists predict will be a La Niña summer with increased rainfall, which is expected to exacerbate flooding in certain areas.
Provincial Flooding Hotspots
The Western Cape has the highest concentration of identified disaster hotspots, with eight areas requiring regular emergency interventions. These areas include Khayelitsha, Philippi, Lwandle, Langa, Dunoon, Overcome Heights, Joe Slovo (Milnerton), Wallacedene, Mfuleni, and Gugulethu. All areas are characterized by dense informal settlements and ageing infrastructure. In the Eastern Cape, disaster hotspots include Duncan Village and Nompumelelo in Buffalo City Metro, OR Tambo District, and Bizana Municipality. KwaZulu-Natal’s identified hotspots include Kennedy Road and Masinenge Ray Nkonyeni Municipality, uMlazi in eThekwini Metro.
Provincial Hazard Profiles and Vulnerable Settlements
Head of the Gauteng Provincial Disaster Management Centre, Tshepo Motlhale, highlighted ongoing challenges with settlements around the Jukskei River, which regularly flood during heavy rainfall. Motlhale also highlighted the province’s use of artificial intelligence and data-driven decision-making. He said the province maintains a mobile application for emergency reporting and has established swift water rescue teams across municipalities. Other provinces, such as Limpopo and Mpumalanga, have also reported challenges with thunderstorms, floods, and informal settlement fires.
Department’s Response to Disasters
The department guaranteed 48-hour response times once disasters are reported. Director-General of Cogta Dr Mbulelo Tshangana said the department deployed 48 volunteers who have foregone their festive holidays to work as community liaison officers during the summer. Additionally, two engineers from the Housing Development Agency have been brought on board to augment inspection and certification capacity for Temporary Residential Unit construction. When disasters strike, the department’s response includes verifying affected beneficiaries, profiling households, and determining appropriate interventions, such as fire kits for informal settlements or temporary residential units for displaced families.
Infrastructure Failures and Lack of Preventive Measures
Multiple provinces identified poor infrastructure maintenance as a significant factor exacerbating flood damage. The department continues responding to the same areas annually, with temporary solutions like Temporary Residential Units rather than permanent relocation or infrastructure upgrades. MK party MP Saira Abader questioned this approach, asking why communities remain in the same danger zones year after year and why high-risk river banks are not formally declared red zones. The department revealed plans for a pilot project with the Eastern Cape to provide permanent housing solutions immediately after disasters, potentially breaking the cycle of repeated emergency responses in the same hotspot areas.
Conclusion and Future Plans
As summer intensifies, emergency services across all identified hotspot areas remain on high alert, with the department deploying additional staff and engineers to augment response capacity during the festive period. The pilot project in the Eastern Cape could begin with a few houses this financial year and expand from there next year. The department’s efforts to provide permanent housing solutions and improve infrastructure maintenance are crucial in reducing the impact of flooding in these hotspot areas. However, more needs to be done to address the root causes of flooding and to provide preventive measures, rather than just responding to disasters after they occur.