All is not well as regards the weather in Durban. It has been forecasted by a leading academic that the Indian Ocean will continue supercharging the atmosphere, leading to a massive infrastructure damage and loss of lives. The harsh weather will be in the form of rain and wind storms, cyclones and floods, with the primary source being climate change. More awareness needs to raised. The warnings were according to Professor Kaitano Dube of the Vaal University of Technology.
Dube warned that coastal regions, including the Eastern Cape and Western Cape, need to act promptly by investing in proper infrastructure with early warning systems or risk severe destruction of properties and loss of lives in the near future. His warning comes as KZN and the Western Cape continue counting the costs stemming from the recent runaway fires and heavy rains. Dube said tourism would bear the brunt if all role-players in the ecosystem, including the government and business, did not act promptly. “The fact is it is important for everyone concerned in this area to be proactive so we not only save lives but save jobs and livelihoods as well. “Part of it means that these warning signals get taken seriously and response plans are not allowed to just rot in storage facilities but have budgets so that they are activated.”
South Africa is about to have its coastline wreaked due to the onset of climate change due to carbon dioxide and other green house gases. The runaway fires and heavy rains are just a tipping point in the earth’s shift in climate. Pretoria needs to work through the provincial governments of KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and the Western Cape to improve the infrastructure such as levee walls and storm drains. The damage done by the release of carbon fossil fuels needs to come to an end. Yes, the government should have better warning systems installed to alert coastal municipalities as regards the threat of deadly weather. The national coalition, provincial governments and the municipalities need to have the necessary legislation enforced to prevent these disasters from escalating. There is the need for cohesion between the state, business class, and civil society to prevent serious damage.
Dube said it was important for municipalities to review new developments, especially where new settlements are constructed, pointing to how such planning could help save properties and key infrastructure. He said while municipalities did not have financial muscle, it was critical for the government to assist with the provision of protection from disasters by a greater amount of planning. Dube said the research, which started in 2016, was prompted by warnings that the Victoria Falls and Okavango Delta were already drying up. This was due to climate change and this was set to have major negative effects on the tourism industry in South Africa. “What some did not realise then was that most of the tourism operators were from South Africa. Tourists going to Botswana or Zimbabwe would use private airlines from OR Tambo, King Shaka and Cape Town airports. Therefore, anything that happened in the two rivers would have such an effect,” Dube added.
The impact of climate change on some of Southern Africa’s natural wonders has impacted the safety of those areas. The concern towards the construction of new settlements is that they may become flooded or blown down due to the freakish weather known as climate change. The destruction of homes could have been prevented by being constructed on higher ground. The fact that major water sources such as the Victoria Falls and Okavango Delta are drying up is a major cause for concern. The government under President Cyril Ramaphosa needs to speed up the country’s transition to solar and wind energies. The environment has no intention of waiting for the economy to adapt.
This transition needs to include switching air planes engines from fossil fuel to electric. The same goes for cars and other vehicles. Growing more trees and protecting natural forests to absorb carbon dioxide should also be a major priority taken up by the state, civil society and private enterprises.
Meanwhile Durban has a crisis as regards to the homeless people living on the street who number 16, 000.
This is according to data collecting that was undertaken by Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) volunteers in collaboration with the Denis Hurley Centre. These men, women and even children have to eke out a living in the streets by begging, finding food from dustbins and even turning to sex work. While the City’s homeless people are at the margins of society, they are also often accused of being vandals, criminals and an eyesore that is a blight on the City. Sandile Ziqubu who has been homeless for 12 years accused the eThekwini Municipality of not caring about people who live on the streets. “We expect a lot from the Municipality but is not doing its part. Instead of doing what they are supposed to, they bother us. They take our sleeping stuff and throw it away. They also take us and dump us outside of town,” said Ziqubu.
It is still a tragedy that neither the government in Pretoria, nor the provincial and municipal administrations have found a way to tackle this crisis. In Durban alone the risk of thousands living on the streets. Running the risk of drug addiction or succumbing to that addiction or even STDs as a result of prostitution remain a cause for concern. The homeless although their origins vary remain a sad display of negligence on the streets, they are offered little by way of job opportunities, rehabilitation and food. It remains a misfortune that they place their lives and those of their children at risk of being on the road. Being homeless and with out education of any kind is not a good sign for desiring any future alternative to the current situation. We see this in the case of Sandile Ziqubu. Desperation leads to frustration.
It is up to the provincial and municipal authorities to tackle these misfortunes from climate change to homelessness. This will prove to be no simple task but then doing nothing worthwhile is easy.
Article written by:
Yacoob Cassim
Journalist at Radio Al Ansaar
