Positioning resilience for 2015: the role of resistance, incremental adjustment and transformation in disaster risk management policy

Disasters ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 39 (s1) ◽  
pp. s1-s18 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Matyas ◽  
Mark Pelling
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Disaster Risk Management ◽  
Management Policy ◽  
Risk Management Policy

scholarly journals The role of traditional leadership in disaster management and disaster risk governance: A case of Ugu District Municipality by-laws

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nonhlanhla A. Zamisa ◽  
Sybert Mutereko
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Disaster Management ◽  
Disaster Risk Reduction ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Disaster Risk Management ◽  
Risk Governance ◽  
Traditional Leaders ◽  
Traditional Leadership

Section 151(2) of the Constitution empowers municipalities in South Africa to pass disaster management-related by-laws. Such by-laws should be specific on the role of traditional leaders, owing to their authority and proximity to the people coupled with their constitutional mandate to preserve customs and traditions. However, their role is often not maximised because of vague and inadequate policies. There has been little or no scholarly attention to the role of traditional leadership and the policy and legal framework that guide their participation in disaster risk management. Employing a comprehensive content analysis of Ugu District Municipality Disaster Management By-law, this article assesses the adequacy of these by-laws on disaster risk governance in the context of collaboration disaster risk reduction. While the Ugu District Municipality Disaster Management By-law provides for the participation of traditional leadership, this study reveals that it is fraught with ambiguities and seemingly vague clauses. For instance, although in Article 5.1.1 the word ‘authorities’ is used, it is not clear whether this refers to traditional leadership or other entities at the local level. In addition, the composition of the Disaster Management Advisory Forum in Ugu does not explicitly include AmaKhosi. While these results add to the rapidly expanding field of disaster risk management, they also suggest several courses of action for policymakers at local government. Such actions might include, but not limited to, a review of the by-laws to address the lack of collaborative essence relative to traditional leaders for optimal disaster risk reduction initiatives targeting traditional communities.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document