The responsibility for building community resilience cannot and should not rest with the public s... more The responsibility for building community resilience cannot and should not rest with the public sector alone. It requires all sectors to collaborate for the benefit of the entire community. Specifically, it is important for private sector organisations to participate in building community resilience because they have vested interest in the area because of their physical assets, suppliers, customers and corporate value of social responsibility. This article explores collaboration between private companies and community of Diepsloot, Johannesburg, South Africa, to build disaster resilience in the community. The study applied qualitative research methods. Data were collected through focus group interviews with the community of Diepsloot and semi-structured individual interviews with representatives of private companies operating in the vicinity of Diepsloot. A total of 55 respondents participated in the study. Respondents included five corporate social responsibility (CSR) managers fro...
Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, 2015
The South African disaster management legislation advocates the importance of implementing pro-ac... more The South African disaster management legislation advocates the importance of implementing pro-active disaster risk reduction strategies that will ensure a safe and sustainable society. One key strategic activity identified is the use of simulation exercises to improve overall societal readiness and inter-agency coordination in case of major incidents or disasters. However, very little is currently understood or planned especially at South African local government level, on what simulation exercises entail and the methodology behind their implementation. This paper aims at conveying some crucial methodological inputs that disaster risk managers or emergency response agencies should consider when planning, designing and implementing simulation exercises by analysing a hazardous chemical spillage simulation in the Tlokwe Local Municipality, North-West Province, South Africa. The research found that in the South African context attention needs to be paid to methodological issues such a...
Disaster risk reduction [DRR] is an essential aspect of socioeconomic development-if time and att... more Disaster risk reduction [DRR] is an essential aspect of socioeconomic development-if time and attention are allocated to DRR, development gains will be more. With this in mind, the African Centre for Disaster Studies conducted the Engaging African GIRRLs in Gender Enriched Disaster Reduction [EAGER] project from 2015-2018. The main target group of the project was adolescents in cross-border communities of Botswana and Namibia, as well as Swaziland and Mozambique. The goal of the project was to lessen the challenges that the participants face in preand post-disaster contexts by integrating education and participation in communitybased disaster risk reduction and resilience. Additionally, the project intended to build local capacity and promote interaction between youth in bordering communities. By implication, activities aimed initially at DRR and capacity-building addressed aspects relating to various United Nations Sustainable Development Goals [SDGs]. It will be of value to explore the link between DRR and sustainable development by presenting the EAGER project. Additionally, focus will be allocated to the project in the context of some SDGs and how DRR contributes to sustainable development.
The Merafong Local Municipality (MLM) has historically suffered financial and human losses becaus... more The Merafong Local Municipality (MLM) has historically suffered financial and human losses because of the presence of dolomite and the consequent formation of sinkholes. There is a great need for the MLM to address the risk posed by sinkholes to ensure the continued safety of communities. However, as the risk is so pervasive, the MLM needs to coordinate their risk reduction strategies with a wide array of stakeholders in the municipality. Efficient stakeholder management is thus crucial if the sinkhole risk is to be addressed appropriately. This article reviews the current status of stakeholder management in the MLM as it pertains to the formulation of a holistic sinkhole risk reduction strategy. Findings indicate that there are serious deficiencies in the MLM’s stakeholder management relating to key risk management processes such as community involvement in risk management structures, disaster risk assessment, training and awareness, and early warning and response. Improved stakeho...
The South African disaster management legislation advocates the importance of implementing pro-ac... more The South African disaster management legislation advocates the importance of implementing pro-active disaster risk reduction strategies that will ensure a safe and sustainable society. One key strategic activity identified is the use of simulation exercises to improve overall societal readiness and inter-agency coordination in case of major incidents or disasters. However, very little is cur- rently understood or planned especially at South African local government level, on what simulation exercises entail and the methodology behind their imple- mentation. This paper aims at conveying some crucial methodological inputs that disaster risk managers or emergency response agencies should consider when planning, designing and implementing simulation exercises by analysing a hazardous chemical spillage simulation in the Tlokwe Local Municipality, North- West Province, South Africa. The research found that in the South African context attention needs to be paid to methodological issues such as scenario develop- ment, role-player selection, fidelity during simulation delivery, data collection and participant (de)briefing.
Executive summary South Africa is prone to climate related hazards in the form of floods, fires, ... more Executive summary South Africa is prone to climate related hazards in the form of floods, fires, gales force winds and snowfalls. Municipalities in South Africa, specifically districts municipalities, are experiencing difficulties to implement the provisions of the Disaster Management Act (No 57 of 2002) and the guidelines provided in the National Disaster Management Framework (2005).
Executive summary South Africa is prone to climate related hazards in the form of floods, fires, ... more Executive summary South Africa is prone to climate related hazards in the form of floods, fires, gales force winds and snowfalls. Municipalities in South Africa, specifically districts municipalities, are experiencing difficulties to implement the provisions of the Disaster Management Act (No 57 of 2002) and the guidelines provided in the National Disaster Management Framework (2005). One of the main reasons given for this situation is a lack of funding (or a lack of understanding of funds allocation) from the national and provincial ...
The responsibility for building community resilience cannot and should not rest with the public s... more The responsibility for building community resilience cannot and should not rest with the public sector alone. It requires all sectors to collaborate for the benefit of the entire community. Specifically, it is important for private sector organisations to participate in building community resilience because they have vested interest in the area because of their physical assets, suppliers, customers and corporate value of social responsibility. This article explores collaboration between private companies and community of Diepsloot, Johannesburg, South Africa, to build disaster resilience in the community. The study applied qualitative research methods. Data were collected through focus group interviews with the community of Diepsloot and semi-structured individual interviews with representatives of private companies operating in the vicinity of Diepsloot. A total of 55 respondents participated in the study. Respondents included five corporate social responsibility (CSR) managers fro...
Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, 2015
The South African disaster management legislation advocates the importance of implementing pro-ac... more The South African disaster management legislation advocates the importance of implementing pro-active disaster risk reduction strategies that will ensure a safe and sustainable society. One key strategic activity identified is the use of simulation exercises to improve overall societal readiness and inter-agency coordination in case of major incidents or disasters. However, very little is currently understood or planned especially at South African local government level, on what simulation exercises entail and the methodology behind their implementation. This paper aims at conveying some crucial methodological inputs that disaster risk managers or emergency response agencies should consider when planning, designing and implementing simulation exercises by analysing a hazardous chemical spillage simulation in the Tlokwe Local Municipality, North-West Province, South Africa. The research found that in the South African context attention needs to be paid to methodological issues such a...
Disaster risk reduction [DRR] is an essential aspect of socioeconomic development-if time and att... more Disaster risk reduction [DRR] is an essential aspect of socioeconomic development-if time and attention are allocated to DRR, development gains will be more. With this in mind, the African Centre for Disaster Studies conducted the Engaging African GIRRLs in Gender Enriched Disaster Reduction [EAGER] project from 2015-2018. The main target group of the project was adolescents in cross-border communities of Botswana and Namibia, as well as Swaziland and Mozambique. The goal of the project was to lessen the challenges that the participants face in preand post-disaster contexts by integrating education and participation in communitybased disaster risk reduction and resilience. Additionally, the project intended to build local capacity and promote interaction between youth in bordering communities. By implication, activities aimed initially at DRR and capacity-building addressed aspects relating to various United Nations Sustainable Development Goals [SDGs]. It will be of value to explore the link between DRR and sustainable development by presenting the EAGER project. Additionally, focus will be allocated to the project in the context of some SDGs and how DRR contributes to sustainable development.
The Merafong Local Municipality (MLM) has historically suffered financial and human losses becaus... more The Merafong Local Municipality (MLM) has historically suffered financial and human losses because of the presence of dolomite and the consequent formation of sinkholes. There is a great need for the MLM to address the risk posed by sinkholes to ensure the continued safety of communities. However, as the risk is so pervasive, the MLM needs to coordinate their risk reduction strategies with a wide array of stakeholders in the municipality. Efficient stakeholder management is thus crucial if the sinkhole risk is to be addressed appropriately. This article reviews the current status of stakeholder management in the MLM as it pertains to the formulation of a holistic sinkhole risk reduction strategy. Findings indicate that there are serious deficiencies in the MLM’s stakeholder management relating to key risk management processes such as community involvement in risk management structures, disaster risk assessment, training and awareness, and early warning and response. Improved stakeho...
The South African disaster management legislation advocates the importance of implementing pro-ac... more The South African disaster management legislation advocates the importance of implementing pro-active disaster risk reduction strategies that will ensure a safe and sustainable society. One key strategic activity identified is the use of simulation exercises to improve overall societal readiness and inter-agency coordination in case of major incidents or disasters. However, very little is cur- rently understood or planned especially at South African local government level, on what simulation exercises entail and the methodology behind their imple- mentation. This paper aims at conveying some crucial methodological inputs that disaster risk managers or emergency response agencies should consider when planning, designing and implementing simulation exercises by analysing a hazardous chemical spillage simulation in the Tlokwe Local Municipality, North- West Province, South Africa. The research found that in the South African context attention needs to be paid to methodological issues such as scenario develop- ment, role-player selection, fidelity during simulation delivery, data collection and participant (de)briefing.
Executive summary South Africa is prone to climate related hazards in the form of floods, fires, ... more Executive summary South Africa is prone to climate related hazards in the form of floods, fires, gales force winds and snowfalls. Municipalities in South Africa, specifically districts municipalities, are experiencing difficulties to implement the provisions of the Disaster Management Act (No 57 of 2002) and the guidelines provided in the National Disaster Management Framework (2005).
Executive summary South Africa is prone to climate related hazards in the form of floods, fires, ... more Executive summary South Africa is prone to climate related hazards in the form of floods, fires, gales force winds and snowfalls. Municipalities in South Africa, specifically districts municipalities, are experiencing difficulties to implement the provisions of the Disaster Management Act (No 57 of 2002) and the guidelines provided in the National Disaster Management Framework (2005). One of the main reasons given for this situation is a lack of funding (or a lack of understanding of funds allocation) from the national and provincial ...
Uploads
Papers by Kristel Fourie