Centres or Units: Making Sense of Decentralisation of Disaster Management in South African Municipalities
Centres or Units: Making Sense of Decentralisation of Disaster Management in South African Municipalities19

Summary/Abstract: Disasters can shake institutions and their adaptive strategies temporarily and often in the aftermath of a disaster. Disaster events, such as floods and epidemics, unceasingly demonstrate that disasters provide an avenue for a "litmus test" for institutional effectiveness, efficiency, and accountability. Therefore, this study examines municipalities’ receptivity to their role in an integrated disaster management system. Based on the literature and 25 interviews in three research areas: (1) legislative understanding and legislative implementation, (2) the establishment of disaster management centres as units and (3) relevance of institutional capacity [decision-making powers of the head of centres]. This study established that the disaster management centres are established in various municipalities as units supported by Disaster Management Act 57 of 2002 as amended by Act 16 of 2015. This is very solid legislative support, but practical implementation problems persist, especially concerning coordinating disaster management activities and financial accountability at the municipal level. Whereas the framework has sought to ensure a standardised method of governance, the decentralisation process has ensured disparities in municipalities’ resource base and procedural practices. Deep-rooted power differences and tightly embedded hierarchies can restrict collaboration and slow decision-making. Given these findings, it is recommended that attention be directed at the following areas: i) developing more effective mechanisms for compliance with standardised disaster management guidelines; ii) planning and operationalising policies to ensure equitable resource distribution; and iii) introducing reforms into existing systems to make disaster management structures more transparent and equitable. Furthermore, the head of the centre should be fully delegated with disaster management power and authority as enshrined in Section 44(3) of the Disaster Management Act 2002, as amended in 2015, to strengthen various stakeholders' internal and external collaboration.

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