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Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act No. 57 of 2002)

Notices

Severe Weather Events

Classification of a National Disaster in terms of Section 23 of the Act: Impact of Severe Weather in the Country

Notice No. 4269 of 2024

 

Notice No. 4269

26 January 2024

GG 50027

 

Department of Co-operative Governance

 

I, Dr Bongani Elias Sithole, in my capacity as the Head of the National Disaster Management Centre, after having deliberations with various organs of state and Heads of Provincial Disaster Management Centres, and after assessing the magnitude and severity of the impact of severe weather that resulted in disruptive rains, lightning and strong winds during December 2023 and January 2024, causing significant impacts in the province of KwaZulu-Natal resulting in the loss of life, damage to property, infrastructure and the environment, as well as the disruption of basic services, and after assessing the potential magnitude and severity of severe weather that has impacted in other provinces in the country, hereby give notice that on 15 January 2024, in terms of Section 23(1)(b) of the Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act No. 57 of 2002), classify the IMPACT OF the SEVERE WEATHER IN THE COUNTRY as a National Disaster.

 

Emanating from the classification, in terms of section 26 read with section 23 of the Act, the primary responsibility to coordinate and manage this disaster, in terms of existing legislation and contingency arrangements, is designated to the national executive.

 

I hereby, in terms of Section 15(2)(aA) of the Act, read with section 23(8), call upon organs of state to further strengthen support to existing structures to implement contingency arrangements and ensure that measures are put in place to enable the national executive to effectively deal with the effects of this disaster.

 

Furthermore, all affected organs of state must prepare and submit reports, as required by the National Disaster Management Centre as outlined in section 24(4) - (8) of the Act.

 

The revocation of the classification is set out in the schedule hereto.

 

 

Dr Bongani Elias Sithole

Head: National Disaster Management Centre

Date: 15 January 2024

 

 

Schedule

 

The national executive dealt with the national disaster in terms of existing legislation and contingency arrangements without declaring a national state of disaster in terms of section 27(1) of the Act.

The classification is revoked by the Head: National Disaster Management Centre when the occurrence can no longer be regarded as a disaster in terms of the Act upon reassessment by the NDMC.

The national executive dealt with the national disaster in terms of existing legislation and contingency arrangements as augmented by regulations and/ or directions following the declaration of a national state of disaster in terms of section 27(2).

The classification of a national disaster is automatically revoked when the national state of disaster is terminated or lapses in terms of section 27(5) of the Act.