Traditional leaders from across eThekwini came out in large numbers during the Traditional Leaders Disaster Management Workshop, where they were empowered with strategies, traditional knowledge, and disaster‑preparedness tools.
Image: eThekwini Municipality
The eThekwini Municipality stated that disaster risk reduction is no longer the sole responsibility of the government.
The bold statement was made at a Traditional Leaders Disaster Management Workshop held by the municipality at the Pinetown Civic Centre on Thursday.
The workshop aimed to capacitate leaders with the strategies, tools, and disaster-readiness knowledge needed to strengthen community resilience and ensure that no household is left behind.
The municipality believes that rural communities remain most vulnerable to floods, storms, fires, and other climate-related disasters.
The engagement was led by eThekwini Mayor Councillor Cyril Xaba, Deputy Mayor Zandile Myeni, and senior representatives from provincial departments and disaster agencies.
“It requires fully empowered traditional leaders whose decisions on land allocation, early warning communication, and community mobilisation directly influence the safety and survival of communities living in high-risk rural areas,” Xaba said.
He emphasised that disasters are becoming frequent and destructive, placing immense strain on the city’s infrastructure, economy, and residents' daily lives. He said the shift from reaction to prevention was important.
“Every disaster leaves a negative impact on our infrastructure, our environment, and most painfully, on our people. Therefore, we cannot afford to respond only after tragedy strikes,” he said.
Throughout the session, disaster experts from the provincial government stressed the importance of blending indigenous knowledge systems with scientific disaster management practices.
The municipality stated that traditional leaders were encouraged to use environmental patterns, ancestral land wisdom, and community-based warning signs as early-alert triggers, integrating these with formal emergency protocols to create a stronger, more responsive safety network.
One of the urgent concerns raised was unsafe land allocation, often resulting from limited planning knowledge.
The Chairperson of Traditional Leaders in eThekwini, Inkosi Simingaye Mlaba, said the workshop has better equipped traditional leaders to make informed land-use decisions, issue early warnings, and prepare communities before disasters strike.
He said that the workshop offered traditional leaders practical land-use guidance, risk-mapping insights, and safer settlement strategies to prevent future disasters.
“This workshop has not only strengthened our partnership with the municipality and other structures, but it has also helped us to build back better and empowered us with tools to safeguard our people and contribute to a resilient, disaster-free eThekwini,” said Inkosi Mlaba.
In the week and in other provincial projects, 288 amakhosi were officially designated as Commissioners of Oaths, improving access to government services, particularly in rural areas.
KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi said the power invested in amakhosi will help communities who have to travel long distances to access the service.
Mkhwanazi said the development would help ease the load on police stations and sort the long queues of people who relied on police stations to certify copies of their identity documents and academic qualification certificates.
Also, this week, 47 amakhosi completed a year-long Leadership and Good Governance Programme offered by the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), aimed at equipping traditional leaders with practical skills to strengthen governance and improve service delivery in their communities.
zainul.dawood@inl.co.za