KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY THE MEC FOR CO-OPERATIVE GOVERNANCE, HUMAN SETTLEMENTS AND TRADITIONAL AFFAIRS (COGHSTA), HON. BASIKOPO MAKAMU, ON THE OCCASION OF THE DISASTER MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP FOR MEMBERS OF THE PROVINCIAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT ADVISORY FORUM

PARK INN HOTEL, POLOKWANE, 01 SEPTEMBER 2026

It is a great privilege to stand before you today at this crucial gathering. We gather here at the Park Inn Hotel on the first day of September, a month that marks the arrival of Spring. Spring is a season of new beginnings, growth, and hope. Yet, as leaders, public servants, and disaster management practitioners, Spring also reminds us that nature is changing. The weather will soon grow warmer, dry winds will sweep across our province, and early rains will follow. With these natural shifts come serious challenges that demand our highest level of readiness.
We are gathered here for the Provincial Disaster Management Advisory Forum Workshop. This is not just another meeting where we read documents, drink tea, and go home. This is a strategic council. This is a gathering of minds where we must sharpen our tools, align our plans, and reaffirm our duty to protect the people of Limpopo.
The great African leader, Nelson Mandela, once said: “It always seems impossible until it is done.”
When we look at the scale of climate change and the frequency of disasters facing our province, the task before us can indeed look impossible. We see intense heatwaves, sudden flash floods, devastating Veldfires, and heavy storms that rip off the roofs of schools and rural homes. But as government, as community leaders, and as disaster management experts, throwing our hands up in defeat is not an option. We must make the protection of our communities possible through planning, speed, and dedication.
THE REALITY OF DISASTERS IN OUR PROVINCE
Ladies and Gentlemen, disaster management is not a theoretical subject. It is about human lives. It is about the grandmother in a rural village whose mud house collapses after a heavy storm. It is about the farmer who loses livestock and crops to an uncontrollable wildfire. It is about the child who cannot cross a swollen river to reach school because there is no safe bridge.
Disasters do not give us a warning letter. They do not send an email to book an appointment. They strike suddenly, and they strike hardest at the poorest and most vulnerable members of our society.
When a disaster hits, our people do not look to textbooks; they look to us. They look to the Department of Co-operative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs. They look to their local municipalities. They look to the Provincial Disaster Management Centre. They ask a simple question: “Is government here to help us?”
Our answer to that question must always be a resounding yes. But that answer cannot be built on promises made after a tragedy has already happened. It must be built on the preparations we make today, in rooms like this, before the skies open up or before the fire starts.
STRENGTHENING OUR LEGAL AND OPERATIONAL FRAMEWORK
Today, you will engage with the Disaster Management Act, Act 57 of 2002, as amended. You will break down the Terms of Reference for this Advisory Forum. You will look at how to conduct proper Disaster Risk Assessments and understand the exact legal steps required for the classification and declaration of a state of disaster.
Understanding the law is not just an academic exercise. The Disaster Management Act exists to give us the power and the structure to act swiftly. When a crisis occurs, a delay in declaring a state of disaster means a delay in releasing emergency funds. A delay in releasing funds means a delay in delivering tents, food, medical supplies, and temporary shelters to desperate families.
We must eliminate unnecessary red tape during emergencies. Efficiency in administrative processes saves lives. Every official in this room must know their exact role so that when duty calls, there is no confusion, no shifting of blame, and no delay.
FIRE MANAGEMENT AND COMMUNITY SAFETY
During today’s sessions, you will also receive a specific presentation on Fire Management in the Province from Ms Pinky Netshidzati. This topic is urgent.
As we move deeper into the dry months, Veldfires pose a severe threat to our province. Veldfires destroy vast tracts of grazing land, kill livestock, damage infrastructure, and put human lives at risk. Many of these fires are caused by human carelessness.
We must strengthen our working relationship with Working on Fire, local fire services, commercial farmers, traditional leaders, and local communities. Prevention is always far cheaper and safer than fighting a fire that is already out of control. Public education must be intensified. Our people must know the dangers of open fires during dry and windy days.
INTEGRATING DISASTER MANAGEMENT INTO PLANNING
One of the most important items on your programme today is linking disaster management with Integrated Development Plans (IDPs).
For too long, disaster management has been treated as an after-thought. Many people think disaster management is simply about handing out blankets and food parcels after a storm. That is relief, not management.
True disaster management starts with planning. When a municipality plans to build roads, bridge structures, houses, or clinics, disaster risk must be considered from day one. Building a settlement on a floodplain is setting our people up for future tragedy. Constructing roads without proper drainage guarantees that rain will wash those roads away within months.
As we review the Provincial Disaster Management Plan today, let us ensure that disaster mitigation is fully integrated into every municipal IDP across Limpopo. Every cent we invest in building resilient infrastructure today saves millions of Rands in disaster recovery tomorrow.
As the American statesman Benjamin Franklin wisely said: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
If we invest our time, energy, and resources in preventing and preparing for risks, we will cut down the costs of destruction and, most importantly, save human lives.
WORKING TOGETHER AS ONE TEAM
The word Co-operative in COGHSTA is not just a label; it is a direct command. Disaster management cannot be carried out by one department alone. It requires coordination across all spheres of government and civil society.
The Provincial Disaster Management Advisory Forum brings together provincial departments, district municipalities, local municipalities, traditional authorities, non-governmental organizations, and sector experts.
We must break down the walls of working in isolation. When a storm strikes a village, it does not care whether a road belongs to the local municipality, the province, or the national department. The citizens only see one government. Therefore, our response must reflect one united government working seamlessly together.
I urge all members of this Forum to treat your participation here with the weight it deserves. Do not let this forum become a place of routine meetings where reports are filed away to gather dust. Let it be an active engine room for real risk reduction, early warning systems, and rapid response.
CONCLUSION
As I conclude, I want to leave you with the words of the writer James Clear, who wrote: “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”
We can have the highest goal of keeping Limpopo safe from disasters. But if our systems are weak, if our risk assessments are flawed, and if our response plans are outdated, we will fail when the crisis comes.
Today’s workshop is about building strong systems. It is about making sure that when the winds blow and the heavy rains fall, the systems of the Limpopo Provincial Government stand firm to protect our people.
I wish you fruitful, open, and constructive discussions throughout the day. Let us work with urgency, passion, and dedication. Our people are relying on us.
Thank you very much.