Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act No. 57 of 2002)

Notices

Severe Weather Events

Classification of a National Disaster in terms of Section 23 of the Act: Severe Weather and Floods

Notice No. 7009 of 2026
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Notice No. 7009

22 January 2026

GG 53982

 

Department of Co-operative Governance

 

I, Dr Elias Sithole, in my capacity as the Head of the National Disaster Management Centre, after having deliberations with various organs of state and Heads of Provincial Disaster Management Centres through the National Joint Flood Coordinating Committee, and after assessing the magnitude and severity of the severe weather that resulted in lightening, strong and damaging surface winds, heavy rainfall, and flooding, from late December 2025, in the Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Kwa-Zulu Natal, Eastern Cape and North West provinces, that resulted in the loss of life, damage to property, infrastructure and the environment, as well as the disruption of basic services, hereby give notice that I regard this occurrence as a disaster and, in terms of Section 23(1)(b) of the Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act No. 57 of 2002), I classify the disaster as a national disaster.

 

Emanating from the classification, in terms of section 26, read with section 23 of the Act, the primary responsibility to coordinate and manage this disaster, in terms of existing legislation and contingency arrangements, is designated to the National Executive.

 

I hereby—

(i) in terms of Section 15(2)(aA) of the Act, read with section 23(8), call upon organs of state to further strengthen their support to the existing structures to implement their contingency arrangements and to ensure that measures are put in place to enable the National Executive to effectively deal with the effects of this disaster; and
(ii) in terms of Section 22(a) of the Act—
(a)read with Sections 25(1)(c), 39(1)(c), 39(2)(k), 53(1)(c) and 53(2)(k) of the Act, and other applicable legislation, recommend that the National Executive, the respective Provincial Executives and the respective Municipal Councils, implement a multisectoral prevention, mitigation, relief and rehabilitation plan to deal with the effects of the disaster; and
(b) read with Section 21(a)(ii) of the Act, recommend that each organ of state prepares and submits progress reports, in line with the requirements of the National Disaster Management Centre, to monitor the response initiatives by organs of state, non-governmental organisations and communities.

 

Furthermore, all affected organs of state must prepare and submit reports, as required by the National Disaster Management Centre as outlined in section 24(4) to (8) of the Act.

 

The future revocation of the classification of this disaster, together with its preconditions, is set out in the Schedule hereto.

 

 

Dr Elias Sithole

Head: National Disaster Management Centre

Date: 17/01/2026

 

Schedule

 

The National Executive dealt with the national disaster in terms of existing legislation and contingency arrangements without declaring a national state of disaster in terms of section 27(1) of the Act.

The classification is revoked by the Head: National Disaster Management Centre when the occurrence can no longer be regarded as a disaster in terms of the Act upon reassessment by the National Disaster Management Centre.

The National Executive dealt with the national disaster in terms of existing legislation and contingency arrangements as augmented by regulations and/ or directions following the declaration of a national state of disaster in terms of section 27(2) of the Act.

The classification of a national disaster is automatically revoked when the national state of disaster is terminated or lapses in terms of section 27(5) of the Act.