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09 Feb, 2026
From forecast to failure: South Africa’s disaster readiness crisis
Statement by Zandile Phiri, Acting Secretary General of the United Democratic Movement In light of the recent Orange Level 5 severe thunderstorm warnings issued by the South African Weather Service for parts of KwaZulu-Natal, together with flooding alerts affecting the Eastern Cape and other regions, the United Democratic Movement (UDM) expresses serious concern about South Africa’s preparedness and resilience in the face of increasingly frequent and severe weather events. These impact-based warnings make clear that climate-related risks are no longer isolated incidents but structural threats that demand a capable and coordinated response from the state. South Africa is experiencing more intense rainfall, flooding, heatwaves, droughts, and storms that place lives, livelihoods, and infrastructure at risk. While adverse weather cannot be prevented, its consequences can and must be mitigated through proper planning, infrastructure maintenance, and competent governance. The UDM is deeply concerned that many municipalities remain dangerously ill-prepared for extreme weather. Inadequate stormwater systems, neglected roads and bridges, failing electricity infrastructure, and unsafe human settlements continue to turn foreseeable weather events into humanitarian crises. When drains are blocked, rivers unmanaged, and informal settlements located in flood-prone areas, it is ordinary communities who suffer the most. Disaster management in South Africa remains largely reactive rather than preventative. Early warnings are routinely issued, yet they are too often treated as communications exercises instead of operational triggers. Municipalities fail to clear stormwater systems, secure vulnerable infrastructure, prepare emergency shelters, or position response teams despite clear forecasts. When damage and loss of life follow, these outcomes are framed as unforeseen disasters rather than the predictable result of ignored warnings and poor planning. The UDM reiterates that climate change is no longer an abstract debate. It is a lived reality for millions of South Africans, particularly the poor and working class, who are most exposed to floods, droughts, food insecurity, and infrastructure collapse. Climate adaptation and resilience must therefore be embedded into national, provincial, and municipal planning, budgeting, and infrastructure development. South Africa’s growing vulnerability to extreme weather is not the result of limited capacity. It is the consequence of leadership failure. The country has the technical knowledge, policy frameworks, and resources to manage climate-related risks, yet communities continue to suffer because political will is absent, municipalities are allowed to decay, and infrastructure is neglected without consequence. The UDM rejects the normalisation of disaster under these conditions. When credible early warnings exist, loss of life and widespread damage cannot be blamed on nature alone. They reflect failures of governance, planning, and accountability. The state has a constitutional duty to protect communities from foreseeable harm, and repeated failure to translate warnings into preventative action represents a serious breach of that duty.
