The ward 4 DA councillor, Johan Zerwick is concerned and says his experience with the NW 405 disaster management is worrisome and leaves much to be desired. In the past month, he says, he was sent from pillar to post and his pleas fell on deaf ears as he struggled to help three families who were affected by last month’s storm.

He says he also had to fork out R600 from his own pocket to help the Koena family out after the roof of their house blew off in gale-force winds. Despite the blunders and slow response by the disaster management to the storm that hit the communities a month ago, the municipality says they are ready and well prepared for any disaster.

Willie Maphosa, spokesperson of NW 405 says a natural phenomenon like heavy rainfall that could result in flooding cannot be prevented.

‘The disaster management centre of Ventersdorp / Tlokwe NW405 Municipality uses available legislation to mitigate hazards that cannot be prevented and prevent them from resulting in disasters. The legal instrument that is employed in this regard is the disaster management act and any other relevant legislation and bylaws of the municipality. Section 47 (1) of this act states that “a municipal disaster management centre, to the extent that it has capacity, must give guidance to organs of state, the private sector, NGOs, communities and individuals in the municipal area to assess and prevent or reduce the risk of disaster”,’ he said.

Maphosa says a contingency plan is currently in place within the municipality to deal with all severe weather conditions including heavy rainfall and it will be activated as and when the need arises. ‘The municipal disaster management centre receives early warning messages from the South African Weather Services to assist in proper preparations,’ he adds.

In the event of a disaster, he says NW 405 has signed memoranda of understanding with several entities that come in to assist in times of disaster. These include the Municipality of Matlosana, Dr Kenneth Kaunda Municipality, South African Police Services, South African National Defence Force, North-West University and Denel.

Disaster management personnel and their skills

The mammoth task of dealing with disasters needs highly-trained, experienced staff and a large, disaster-ready workforce. Maphosa says the municipal disaster management centre currently has personnel of three, a manager and two officers. He admitted that this is a fledgeling unit still under construction.

‘The full personnel complement, according to its proposed structure, is currently being considered and will have four senior disaster management officers and fourteen field officers. This takes into account the reconstituted boundaries of the new municipality covering both Potchefstroom and Ventersdorp areas,’ he said. However, he did not reveal when that would happen.

According to Maphosa, the relevant municipal department of infrastructure is requested to start clearing and unblocking all existing stormwater channels and drainage as and when above normal rainfall is expected. He says the municipality is also aware that the physical infrastructure for the storm water drainage system in the formerly disadvantaged areas may not be up to scratch. ‘This item is budgeted for annually on an incremental basis. The municipality has drawn up a storm water drainage master plan to address the backlog in this regard and this will be aggressively implemented as from the beginning of the next financial year,’ he said.

Maphosa says the residents also have a role to play in ensuring that we all remain disaster ready. He appealed to the community to stop littering and throwing rubble and other foreign bodies within the storm water drains blocks because this damages the system, which becomes dysfunctional during flooding.

‘A coordinated, unified and concerted approach is required to develop and nurture a good citizenry. Public institutions, civil society and the media all need to cooperate in educating and raising awareness. The disaster management centre is ready,’ he says.