Page 38 - Research Report 2025.1

Storms and torrential rains
In addition to flooding, participants reported that severe storms and torrential rains pose a significant threat to the district. These weather events, often characterised by high winds and heavy rainfall, exacerbate existing vulnerabilities, particularly in areas where building regulations are poorly enforced or absent altogether. Hailstorms were identified as another environmental hazard that threatens agricultural productivity. This type of weather event has direct implications for crop damage, further compromising food security in a region that relies heavily on farming. Given the frequency and severity of hailstorms in the district, institutional strategies need to include the introduction of agricultural technologies and infrastructure that can mitigate the damage from such events. Protective measures, such as hail nets and crop insurance programs, could significantly reduce the vulnerability of rural farmers.
Participant 4 reflects on the impact of unregulated building practices,which leave homes particularly vulnerable to storms.This suggests that socio-economic factors, such as poverty, force many residents to build informal homes without adherence to proper building codes.The use of substandard materials and poor construction practices increases the risk of structural collapse during heavy rains or strong winds
Drought
Participant 4
“It’s it’s rains Torrent rains. And mostly, our our our our our areas, we are free. So I can do anything anyhow. I can build without a building plan, which has gone through the processes. Because if you build according to a building plan, you if you build in a in a lowland, you have to make sure that you do 1, 2, and 3, and 4. But if you’re built without a building plan, you know, you do as you wish. By the time of Iipandemics and disasters, you are greatly affected.”
Participant 6
“We are we are prone to disasters, you know, physically. That disaster, hails, storms, wind, fires. We mean disasters. We mean those things. Yeah. So we are being affected as institution or
as a municipality as a municipality because we are prone to disasters...”.
Participant 7
“Heavy winds, heavy rains, floods, runaway fires... because of
this low social economic standard, people are vulnerable, you know, because of this low social economic standard, people are vulnerable because the way they build they build, in contravening, the building codes, they build using mud houses, which are very then vulnerable to heavy rains. So that’s why in each and every, summer season, when there’s heavy rains, I know that we’ll receive a call that some houses have collapsed because of that”
Although less frequent than floods, drought represents a
significant threat to livelihoods in the district, particularly in
areas like Matatiele. The reliance on agriculture makes rural communities particularly susceptible to the effects of drought, as reduced rainfall directly impacts crop yields and food production. Droughts disrupt agricultural cycles, diminishing both subsistence farming and commercial agricultural outputs. This not only affects food security but also deepens poverty as households lose a primary source of income. These findings suggest that institutional responses to drought, such as the implementation of irrigation systems, drought- resistant crops, and water conservation initiatives, are critical for building resilience in rural communities. Strengthening local government capacity to respond to drought through sustainable agricultural practices will help reduce the long-term vulnerability of rural livelihoods.
Participant 2 remarks on the detrimental effects of drought on agriculture.
Participant 2
“There’s been disasters like your droughts as well... some part of Matatiele. But when these disasters come, you see that it has dropped a lot in terms of, the season where you have to determine now that, what have we gained from the fields.”
Strong winds
Strong winds are identified as a recurring environmental hazard in the Alfred Nzo District, posing significant risks to infrastructure, housing, and livelihoods. These winds often lead to disasters by damaging homes and essential infrastructure, especially in rural areas where residents are economically disadvantaged and live in substandard housing. Participant 3 described the extent of the impact caused by strong winds, noting that they frequently lead to larger disasters. Participant 6 emphasised the district’s vulnerability to multiple forms of disasters, including strong winds. Participant 7 further illustrated the socio-economic vulnerability of the population, linking the effects of strong winds and other environmental hazards to the low standards of living in the region
The combination of poor construction practices, such as the use of mud houses and inadequate building materials and the recurring nature of strong winds contributes to the high level of vulnerability. Communities are often unprepared to deal with the aftermath of such disasters, and the economic challenges they face make it difficult to recover from damage caused by these winds.
The recurring strong winds in the Alfred Nzo District expose the structural weaknesses of local housing and the limited capacity of local governments to enforce building regulations. These winds, combined with the socio-economic challenges, create a cycle of vulnerability where communities face repeated destruction of property and are unable to rebuild adequately.
36 | STUDY OBJECTIVE II