By Tswelopele Makoe
For centuries, Africa has been renowned for its lack of natural disasters. However, climate change has quickly caught up, with the nations being engulfed in heavy rains and widespread floods.
Here at home, KwaZulu-Natal has been overwhelmed by floods and, more recently, a tornado.
South Africa has been contending with horrendous weather, causing widespread destruction and death. Heavy rains, flooding and tornadoes have battered homes, infrastructure and agricultural systems.
This is especially strenuous for our economy, which is contending with an extensive power crisis, dilapidated infrastructure, rising costs of living and various institutional instabilities.
Although the weather, particularly in winter, cannot be controlled, the period has shown that our nation is ineffective and incapable of grappling with the challenges that are mounting as a result of the arduous winter weather.
Our society is in dire need, with numerous areas remaining significantly under-developed and scores of citizens depending on government aid schemes to survive.
The challenges are being exacerbated by the vigorous weather, causing landslides, mudslides, overflowing toilets, leaking roofs and foundations, and power outages.
In other areas, loss of livestock, destruction of crops, and slow-rising rivers and lakes are among an array of challenges that are emerging.
Loss of infrastructure is not only dangerous because of the high number of underdeveloped housing, roads, schools and workplaces, but also because of the risk it places on those who inhabit the areas.
Poor infrastructure, coupled with terrible weather, will probably lead to high rates of illnesses and diseases, particularly from waterborne bacteria. Additionally, this means buildings could be compromised or become unstable, resulting in the loss of life.
According to the research group Macrotrends, more than 40 million citizens resided in metropolitan areas, as of 2021. Metropolitan areas in particular have been prone to road accidents as a result of slippery roads and flooding. Ultimately, the climate could inadvertently strain our overburdened health-care systems.
Furthermore, structural inequalities are being intensified at this time. The masses of citizens who are being affected by the contentious weather are burdened with challenges that are worsened by the weather.
Countless families will be left unhoused, affecting entire households. Consequently, this could affect the livelihoods of families across the nation. Countless numbers of children and adults are being compromised. Many are unable to attend schools, universities and workplaces. Others are vulnerable to a lack of food security and a loss of profitable resources. The economic impact of unstable weather patterns is certainly far-reaching.
What is often downplayed in the circumstances is the psychosocial effect of arduous weather patterns. Weather that bring about floods and tornadoes can be traumatic for victims and families.
The mental health of victims of flooding is compromised in this instance. Being trapped or injured as a result of the weather can bring about trauma in itself. This can be proliferated by witnessing drownings, loss of property, injuries, collapsed infrastructure and more.
Anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder can arise as a result of these experiences. Many more people will not be treated for the mental health challenges, which will negatively impact their lived realities.
Although climate change is ravaging our nation, it is not a new phenomenon, and we need to act in preparation for this, rather than just waiting to grapple with the aftermath.
Climate change itself may seem far-removed from the extensive triple challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment that we are facing, but the fact remains that we are not impervious to it.
Climate change, the shift in weather patterns, is going to be a continuous challenge, and we need to be over-prepared for this. Additionally, we need to look at our own contribution to climate change, such as the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas.
It is no wonder that such a strong emphasis has been placed on renewable power in recent years. Although the nation’s leadership has been promising on the subject of renewable power, there is a concerning lack of implementation.
South Africa has an abundance of natural resources that should be used to generate power, and it is pitiful that we are reliant on non-renewable energy that is causing more harm than good.
I implore the leadership of our country, governmentally, institutionally, and communally, to drive renewable power, and to have systems in place to deal with climate-related disasters such as the ones we are experiencing.
This will bring about social and environmental benefits that will foster employment, development and encourage new ways of grappling with our challenges.
We need to use our largely educated sector of society to create creative and impactful measures to deal with our challenges. We need to consolidate all the sectors and members of our society to facilitate solutions that will be constructive and address the needs of our citizens.
Ultimately, we are in a critical state. We cannot afford to overlook the mountain of challenges. It is more-so pertinent that we, as a society, deal with these challenges effectively.
Our government is notorious for misusing state resources and mismanaging state finances. As a nation, we may be unaware and unprepared for the magnitude of the damage and disaster that is brought about by the weather patterns, but we need to act effectively.
We need to prioritise infrastructural development, emergency planning and government aid schemes, especially for affected victims. Emphasis needs to be placed on collaboration across the sectors, in order to mitigate the resultant damage, and to address the needs of the affected victims.
From clothing schemes and feeding schemes, to housing schemes and development overall, we need to be more intentional in the way we are developing our nation. Our world is ever-changing, and we need to ensure that our citizens are not repeatedly affected by the same challenges.
It is an excellent time to acknowledge that climate change is present and it is ravaging our nation. We contend with an extensive list of challenges, and it is important that we do not compound our issues by remaining perpetually unprepared.
- Tswelopele Makoe is a gender activist and an MA ethics student at UWC, affiliated with the Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice. The views expressed are her own.