Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa has called on Southern African Development Community (SADC) Member States to urgently strengthen disaster preparedness and secure funding ahead of the 2026/27 rainfall season.
Speaking at the virtual 7th SADC Committee of Ministers Meeting Responsible for Disaster Risk Management on Thursday, Hlabisa said the state of preparedness for the coming season demands equally serious attention, warning that a regional snapshot indicates that around 41 million people may be at risk.
In his address, Hlabisa, who chaired the meeting, said preparedness and response requirements are estimated at US $1.85 billion, against about $241 million currently available. The Minister said the severe financing gap requires Member States to move beyond "expressions of concern".
“Contingency plans that are not approved, financed, tested and understood by those responsible for implementation cannot protect communities.
“This severe financing gap requires us to move beyond expressions of concern and towards costed plans, assigned responsibilities, pre-arranged financing and measurable implementation,” he said.
The Minister urged Member States to finalise and validate El Niño-informed contingency plans, identify triggers and early actions, secure resources, pre-position essential supplies and strengthen coordination across sectors and across borders.
The Minister said the outlook for the 2026/27 rainfall season requires urgent and differentiated interventions, with strong El Niño conditions, elevated temperatures and below-normal rainfall expected across much of central and southern SADC.
Northern, coastal and island areas, however, may remain exposed to flooding and other high-rainfall hazards.
He said the region must prepare for multiple threats, including drought, heat stress, water shortages, floods, severe storms, wildfires and disease outbreaks, and cascading impacts on agriculture, energy, health, infrastructure, and regional markets.
“Preparedness cannot be uniform when risk is not uniform. Regional assessments must be translated into downscaled national and subnational forecasts, practical advisories and early decisions that reach institutions, farmers, and communities in time to act,” the Minister said.
Hlabisa said the improved agricultural production, pasture conditions, water availability, and regional food supply recorded during the 2025/26 rainfall season must not create a false sense of security.
Although the season supported a broad recovery, floods, tropical cyclones, localised dry spells and disease outbreaks continued to cause loss of life, displacement, infrastructure damage and livelihood disruptions.
“The message is clear: an improved regional outlook does not mean that vulnerability has been overcome. It means that we have a narrow opportunity to protect recent gains before the next shock reverses them.”
The Minister also raised concerns about food insecurity, noting that approximately 53 million people in reporting Member States are projected to face food insecurity during the 2026/27 consumption period.
He noted that food insecurity is driven not only by agricultural production, but also by poverty, conflict, displacement, rising food prices, limited market access, household income and the affordability of nutritious food.
He called for a comprehensive response combining resilient agriculture, functioning regional trade, nutrition interventions, livelihood protection and social protection measures that could respond to climate-related shocks.
The Minister emphasised that early-warning systems must translate into practical interventions before communities experience the full impact of disasters.
He also highlighted the SADC Multi-Hazard Regional Anticipatory Action Framework 2026–2030 as an important mechanism for linking weather forecasts and agreed triggers to pre-arranged interventions.
He said measures to protect agricultural planting, water access, livestock, household income and essential services need to be activated before the impacts of climate hazards become fully visible.
“Early warning is valuable only when it leads to early decisions, early financing and early action,” Hlabisa said.
The Minister also highlighted the importance of strengthening regional humanitarian logistics through the SADC Regional Prepositioning Strategy, which aims to improve the availability, location and movement of emergency relief supplies.
He said administrative and logistical delays should not prevent humanitarian assistance from reaching communities when disasters strike, calling for clear procedures, interoperable systems and efficient cross-border support arrangements. – SAnews.gov.za
