The Commission commends the swift actions taken by Government, civil society, ordinary people and all other stakeholders who have immediately come to the aid of those impacted by the floods. The Commission welcomes the commitment made by the President of the Republic of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, to "spare nothing" in dealing with the disaster and offering assistance to the affected. In turn, the Commission calls on the State to ensure that every measure is taken to ensure that all resources dedicated to aid affected communities and people, actually reaches the intended parties and is not lost to corruption or maladministration.

The Commission is concerned by the warnings of imminent storms and heavy rains during the upcoming long weekend – as issued by the South African Weather Service. Should it materialize, this will exacerbate the disaster and set back recovery efforts. In that regard, the Commission calls on Government and all role players to intensify  disaster preparedness plans -  to minimize further devastation and loss of human life.
Lessons ought to be learnt from this tragedy.  Among others, greater attention should be paid to concerns about and effects of climate and measures should be sought to minimize the devastating impact thereof, where possible. The Commission reiterates that urgent attention and institutional responses must be drawn to the impact of climate change on human rights. Related to this,, an ‘all of society’ approach is required to effectively correct the compounding service delivery and infrastructure challenges in local municipalities throughout the country and particularly in the KZN Province..

It is reported that at least 248 schools have been damaged in many parts of the province. Further, the disaster has left countless people homeless, without sufficient shelter, food, clean drinking water and other most basic needs. The acceleration of global climate change and the resultant unpredictable climate disasters exacerbate violations of the right to an environment that is not harmful to the health or wellbeing of people, as outlined in section 24 of the Bill of Rights.

The SAHRC is expediting the finalization of an action plan to be implemented on the ground. The Commission will monitor, amongst many others, the provision of alternative housing,   food, water, healthcare and other immediate concerns for affected victims of the floods. In the provision of immediate relief, monitoring will be implemented ensure that human rights are observed.

The Commission calls on communities to respect and observe each other’s rights in the midst of the chaos and desperation at this difficult time.

As a long term measure, the SAHRC wishes to highlight the need for the State to tackle climate change head on, the need to monitor spatial planning, the impact of the lack of formal housing and the question how these factors exacerbated the disaster.

Ends
Issued by the South African Human Rights Commission

Gushwell Brooks – Communications Co-ordinator Tel: 082 645 8573 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.