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The fourth episode of Corruption Watch’s new five-part podcast series on climate governance is now available. In this episode, the focus is on disaster management and the Disaster Management Act (DMA).
“The DMA is the central piece of legislation for managing everything from technological accidents to national emergencies,” explains series narrator Melusi Ncala. “It is also the framework the state relies on for climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction.”
The goal of the DMA is to facilitate a co-ordinated and integrated approach across all levels of government in times of crisis. However, Ncala adds, the act has come under increasing scrutiny following devastating floods in KwaZulu-Natal, the Western Cape, and other parts of South Africa.
“A year after the floods and the declaration of a national disaster, the Auditor-General reviewed the financial records. Government had allocated R5.8-billion rand for recovery … yet more than a year later, only 4% of that budget had been spent.”
This situation happened because firstly, there was a lack of readiness, with no contingency planning despite awareness that the region is disaster prone. Secondly, there was no pricing consistency and departments paid vastly different prices for identical supplies in a disappointing throwback to the Covid-era procurement scandals that are still being unravelled. Thirdly, weak oversight contracts were poorly monitored, resulting in substandard work and suspicious procurement deviations.
“The Disaster Management act may succeed in triggering funds, but it fails at the local level,” says Ncala. “It prioritises reaction over preparation. And once again, it is the most vulnerable who suffer the most.”
Experts in this episode discuss the challenges with climate impact and disaster management, the impact on communities, disaster relief shortcomings in climate-focused interventions, and systemic failures and the need for climate governance integrity
Our guests include legal researcher Mashudu Masutha, community activist Blessing Nyoni, Wade Parker from the grassroots organisation Surplus Peoples Project, and several representatives from the Riverlands community in the Western Cape.
Listen to episode 4 below, or download it by right-clicking or long-pressing on the audio player:
