The Mahikeng Local Municipality in North West is hosting its inaugural Disaster Management Summit. This is in efforts to effectively prevent, prepare and respond to both natural and man-made disasters in the face of various environmental, economic and social challenges.
Disasters in the area have now become increasingly common, with communities displaced due to flooding and strong winds, while veld fires have also ravaged agricultural areas due to the absence of fire breaks.
Gomotsegang Mosiane from the North West Provincial Disaster Management Centre had this to say.
“Most of the time, our municipalities are not proactive in terms of planning for any eventually and also when people occupy unserviced land. I think those are the serious challenges. The challenge of people settling in disaster-prone areas like your wetlands and flood plains.”
Disaster Management Summit, taking place on October 2-3, 2025, in Mafikeng, is set to bring together experts and stakeholders to discuss innovative strategies for disaster risk reduction and management. pic.twitter.com/UW5pYKVcbi
— COGTA (@NW_COGTA) October 2, 2025
