More than 15 years after South Africa introduced legislation requiring every municipality to establish a Municipal Disaster Management Centre (MDMC), nearly half of the country’s 257 municipalities still do not have functioning centres in place.
Disaster Management scholar Mokhele examined why disaster management decentralisation succeeds in some municipalities but stalls in others. I found that many MDMCs are established as units, not centres, he says. 'They lack funding, trained staff, locally-context-specific disaster management plans, flood risk maps, and basic warning infrastructure, despite increasing climate-related disasters such as floods, droughts, and storms.
KwaZulu-Natal floods exposed major gaps
‘When the 2022 floods hit KwaZulu-Natal, over 60% of affected municipalities lacked flood risk maps, and only one in four had working warning systems,’ the researcher explains. ‘Good laws on paper mean nothing if local governments are not given the actual resources, authority, and political backing to use them.’
According to Mokhele, disaster governance failures are rooted in political interference, power imbalances between national and local government, and the low political priority often given to disaster management until a crisis occurs. ‘Decentralisation only works when you share real money and real power, not just responsibilities,’ he states.
Climate change increases pressure on vulnerable communities
Mokhele’s findings are especially significant for vulnerable communities living in informal settlements, where preventable deaths and losses are concentrated. ‘Climate change is intensifying extreme weather events, while the municipalities most exposed to these risks often have the weakest institutional capacity,’ Mokhele explains. He continues: ‘ This research highlights the importance of shifting national policy away from issuing directives alone and towards ensuring municipalities have the resources and authority to act effectively on the ground.’
Comparative case studies across South Africa
Mokhele used a qualitative comparative case study approach across four contrasting South African settings: KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, the City of Tshwane, and the Northern Cape. The study combined 53 semi-structured interviews with government officials, policy and media analysis, participant observation, and ongoing engagement with an advisory forum.
‘By linking everyday disaster management practices to broader governance structures, this research provides new evidence on why decentralised disaster management continues to struggle in South Africa despite strong legislation,’ Mokhele concludes.
Photo: Greg Johnson