South Africa has a well-established disaster management framework, which promotes engagement in DRR in the three spheres of government: national, provincial and municipal levels (Prevention Web, HFA National Progress Reports, 2019).
The Inter-governmental Committee on Disaster Management, the National Disaster Management Advisory Forum and the National Disaster Management Centre are the institutions responsible for the overall coordination on disaster management. The institutional framework also includes Disaster Management Centres and Advisory Forums at provincial and municipal levels.
DRR Framework South Africa includes a National Disaster Management Framework, 2005; a National Climate Change and Health Adaptation Plan 2014-2019; the Development and Structure of a Disaster Management Plan (2017); and a National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy (2018).
The main challenges faced by the country are related to the fact that less prone municipalities tend to be less committed to disaster risk management and reduction (2015 Progress Report on the Implementation of Hyogo Framework for Action). Budgetary limitations are also referred to as constraints to a successful implementation of the DRR legal framework and national policy (Prevention Web, HFA National Progress Reports, 2019).
- Prevention Web. (2019, December). HFA National Progress Reports. Retrieved from https://www.preventionweb.net/english/hyogo/progress/reports/
The Republic of South Africa, the southernmost African country, extends from 22° to 34° south latitude, and it's covered in large part by a plateau, which tempers the summer heat but cools the winter nights. Apart from the southern coastline, the country is usually more arid in the west than in the east.
In Cape Town, the average temperature ranges from 12°C in July to 21°C in January and February. The summer temperatures are not excessively high because of the influence of the ocean, though sometimes a hot and dry wind called Berg, able to raise the temperature to around 35°C, blows from the mountains. On the contrary, a strong southern breeze called Cape Doctor often blows in summer, cooling and cleaning the air. Above the top of Table Mountain, the flat-topped mountain overlooking the city, about a thousand meters high, a layer of clouds often forms, which the city's inhabitants call in a colloquial manner "tablecloth".
The west coast of South Africa is affected by the Benguela Current, which cools the sea and makes the climate arid, since it inhibits the formation of vertical air currents that could condense. In this area, annual precipitation drops below 350 mm, but in a wide west-central area, where the southern part of the Namib Desert is found, it drops even below 200 mm.
The thin coastal strip to the east of the Cape Town area is characterized by a very mild climate, which becomes progressively warmer and rainier as we move towards the east-northeast.
As previously mentioned, much of South Africa is occupied by highlands. The western part of the plateau has been included in the arid climate zone. In the central and eastern part of the plateau, which we are dealing with now, the rains are more abundant, especially in the warm season, when humid currents from the Indian Ocean prevail.
The far north-east of South Africa has a warmer climate than the plateau, both because of the lower latitude (it is located at the Tropic of Capricorn) and because of the lower altitude, which descends below 1,000 meters above sea level.
Regional Platform / DRR Contact Point
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Government of South AfricaOrganization type:
Risk reduction Policies, Plans & Strategies
Policies, plans and official statements on disaster risk, climate adaptation and resilience.
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National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy
The National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy (NCCAS) provides a common vision of climate change adaptation and resilience for the country, and outlines priority areas for achieving this vision. |
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Guideline on the Development and Structure of a Disaster Management Plan
This guideline, developed in terms of Section 19(a) of the Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act No. |
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Disaster Management Amendment Bill, 2015
This bill amends the Disaster Management Act, 2002. |
Documents & Publications
Disaster risk reduction and resilience publications, reports, research papers and case studies.
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NDMC Presentation on Disaster Management Situational Analysis
South Africa presentation in the Strengthening Disaster Risk Reduction, Coordination, Planning and Policy Advisory Capacity of SADC Project Inception Workshop, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, 20-24 January 2020. |
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RIASCO Humanitarian Outlook for Southern Africa | November 2017-April 2018
This report analyses some of the southern african countries readiness to humanitarian impacts related to their macro-economic conditions, the regional seasonal rainfall forecast, the food, livelihood and nutrition security and the conflict in Democratic Republic of Congo. |
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Spaces of vulnerability and areas prone to natural disaster and crisis in six SADC countries: Disaster risks and disaster risk management capacity in Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe
In light of national, cross-border, transboundary and regional hazards of various type in Southern Africa, a desk review was undertaken by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in order to enhance the understanding of disaster risk and spaces of vulnerability (i.e. |
Disaster Data & Statistics
Reports on disaster statistics, country profiles and additional resources on collecting disaster loss data.
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INFORM Country Risk Profile - South Africa
Index for Risk Management. |
