The South African government has classified drought conditions and water supply disruptions in parts of the country as a national disaster, according to a gazette published by the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs on Wednesday.
Elias Sithole, head of the National Disaster Management Center within the department, said the decision followed reports on the potential impact of drought and interruptions to large-scale water provision in the Eastern Cape, Western Cape and Northern Cape. He described the situation as a life
safety risk and confirmed the classification as a national disaster.
The National Executive is now responsible for coordinating and managing the response. Organs of state, the private sector, communities and individuals are urged to strengthen risk mitigation measures, implement drought alleviation practices and conserve water across both supply and demand channels.
This follows a similar national disaster declaration in January, when severe weather and widespread flooding affected Limpopo, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and North West provinces.