eThekwini: An example of local government paralysis and governance challenges

THE 2022 floods in KwaZulu-Natal laid bare a systemic crisis reflecting how on average, any South African city will be found wanting should such a disaster reoccur.

- YURI RAMKISSOON

THE 2022 floods in KwaZulu-Natal laid bare a systemic crisis reflecting how on average, says the author.

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Within a matter of days, heavy rains left 448 people dead, displaced over 20 000 households and caused massive infrastructure.

eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality became a national case study in how climate-driven disasters collide with governance challenges. In the aftermath of the calamity, a recent report by the Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) shows that the impact of the floods was magnified by chronic underinvestment, historical inequalities, and a lack of enforcement of municipal legislation, policies and bylaws in eThekwini.

The report was written to assess changes that have been made by the city following the 2022 floods, to plan for future such disasters.

The report found that eThekwini has able and committed individuals in its employ and is relatively advanced in the development of climate and disaster management policies.

The Durban Climate Change Strategy (DCCS), the Climate Change Resilience Strategy, and the Disaster Risk and Response Management Plan provide a fairly holistic framework that many South African cities lack. Additionally, the city has used innovative nature-based and engineering initiatives like the Transformative River Management Programme (TRMP), the Community-Based Flood Early Warning System (CBFEWS) and conservation of the Durban Metropolitan Open Space System (D'MOSS).

These projects have dual-benefits of adaptation and resilience-building, and community integration.

However, despite these clear frameworks and projects, the city like many municipalities often finds itself unprepared for extreme weather events.