eThekwini equips traditional leaders with tools, knowledge to combat flood risks
eThekwini Municipality is empowering traditional leaders as the first line of defence against climate-related disasters. The City has been hit by a series of devastating storms in recent years.
Image: File: Leon Lestrade / Independent Newspapers
In a bid to curb the devastating impact of climate-related disasters on vulnerable rural communities, the eThekwini Municipality has turned to traditional leaders as the "first line of defence" in disaster risk management.
Mayor Cyril Xaba, speaking at a high-level Traditional Leaders Disaster Management Workshop held at the Pinetown Civic Centre on Thursday, warned that the City can no longer afford to be merely reactive to the increasingly frequent floods and storms battering the region.
The workshop brought together Amakhosi from across the metro, signalling a shift in strategy that places traditional leadership at the heart of community resilience and land-use planning.
Mayor Xaba emphasised that the human and economic toll of recent disasters has reached a breaking point, placing immense strain on the City's infrastructure and the lives of its residents.
"Every disaster leaves a negative impact on our infrastructure, our environment, and most painfully, on our people," Xaba told the delegates. "Therefore, we cannot afford to respond only after tragedy strikes."
The Mayor noted that by equipping traditional leaders with practical disaster-readiness tools, the City aims to move toward a preventive model where those closest to the ground can identify risks before they turn into catastrophes.
A key focus of the engagement was the integration of indigenous knowledge systems with formal scientific disaster protocols. Disaster experts from the provincial government urged traditional leaders to utilize environmental patterns and ancestral land wisdom as early-alert triggers.
By blending community-based warning signs with official emergency communication, the Municipality hopes to create a more responsive safety network for remote households.
One of the most pressing issues discussed was the role of traditional leaders in land allocation. The workshop highlighted how limited planning knowledge in the past has sometimes led to unsafe settlements in high-risk zones.
Inkosi Simingaye Mlaba, chairperson of the Traditional Leaders in eThekwini, welcomed the initiative, stating that the workshop has better-equipped leaders to safeguard their people.
"This workshop has not only strengthened our partnership with the municipality but has also empowered us with tools to make informed land-use decisions and issue early warnings," Mlaba said.
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