JOHANNESBURG - Cooperative Governance Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa warns that this summer will bring tough weather, with soaring temperatures and heatwaves expected under El Niño.
He said government is activating disaster management systems and ramping up communication to help communities prepare for droughts and other weather risks.
Hlabisa spoke during the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction programme in Mpumalanga, which focuses on building resilience and ensuring communities know how to respond when disasters strike.
"Not only this weekend, from this summer season up to March 2027, the most difficult weather conditions under El Nino, the high temperature, but high levels of heat is also going to be a disaster that we are talking about activating our systems, ensuring communication reaches everybody, because we should be ready to mitigate the effects of drought that will be as a result of the heat waves, our farmers, our children at schools, in homes that people must not expose themselves unnecessarily."