| Summary: | Since the 1960s there has been a constant evolution in the common
understanding of international disaster management. Various measures and
structures were created to plan for emergency relief and the management of a
disastrous event. Despite all the international effort which was aimed at
reducing the impact of natural and anthropogenic hazards on humankind, very
little progress was made. Loss of life, property, infrastructure and economic
livelihoods are on the increase without any indication of improvement.
Developmental activities could in most instances be blamed for the high level
of disaster risk present in communities. On the other hand, very little was
done in the international arena (through a multi-disciplinary approach) to
ensure a developmental focus on disaster risk.
Despite the sometimes dismal situation in which especially the less developed
world found themselves, some progress has been made in disaster risk
reduction since the 1990s. Major disasters since the 1960s, as well as
intensive media coverage of these events, have created a global awareness
of the need to reduce disaster impacts. The aspects mentioned above, with
the involvement of a variety of different disciplines and professional
constituencies, gradually started to investigate and formulate an
understanding of disaster risk. This, together with, the involvement of a variety
of different disciplines and professional constituencies gradually led to the
investigation and formulation of an understanding of disaster risk.
The declaration of the International Decade of Natural Disaster Reduction
(1 990-1 999) and the formulation of the International Strategy for Disaster
Reduction (2000-201 0) confirmed the international importance of disaster risk
reduction. South Africa, coming from a history of apartheid and discrimination,
realised the void in caring for communities at risk. Severe floods in the
Western Cape Province in 1997 heralded a new area in disaster management
in South Africa. In 1998, a legislative process started which culminated in the
promulgation of the Disaster Management Act 57 of 2002.
Despite the international as well as national focus on the prevention and
mitigation of disasters, their continuous impact and increase in losses were a
clear indication that more than just pure disaster management should be
undertaken. A paradigm shift gradually occurred where disasters were no
longer seen as events to respond to. A focus on disaster risk reduction
emerged. This focus is aimed at reducing the risk in which communities find
themselves by using development interventions.
Disaster risk reduction is not without its own challenges. The heightened
emphasis on the subject matter by a variety of regional and international
agencies showed that a concrete theoretical knowledge base was lacking. A
need to identify all the aspects of which disaster risk reduction comprises
evolved. Several international disaster risk reduction frameworks emerged
aimed at providing qualitative and quantitative indicators to measure success
in disaster risk reduction.
This thesis aimed to develop a comprehensive multi-sphere disaster risk
reduction framework that is tailor-made for the strategic management arena in
South Africa. The research provides the reader with a background study on
the international development of the concept of disaster risk reduction and its
components. It focuses on disaster risk management and disaster
management within the South African context. Four international disaster risk
reduction frameworks are analytically compared and aligned with international
best practices. Subsequently the South African national disaster management
policy framework (the National Disaster Management Framework) is analysed
and compared to the findings of the international comparison. This research
further made use of focus group interviews for data collection. Specialists in
the field of disaster risk management in South Africa formed part of the focus
group interviews which served as a form of triangulation between the
described processes and the reality in the South African public sector. In
conclusion this thesis provides a new disaster risk reduction framework for
application in the strategic management sector on all levels of government.
The framework is comprehensive, yet flexible enough, to be adapted for
tactical and operational implementation. === Thesis (Ph.D. (Public Management and Administration))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.
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