lesego shoroma - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by lesego shoroma
International Journal of Disaster Risk Science
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, a regional economic body comprised of 1... more The Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, a regional economic body comprised of 16 member states, is one of our planet’s most vulnerable regions to natural hazards, and has a complex disaster risk profile. The region has sustained several disasters over the past decades. These events include annual floods in 2004–2019 and extreme droughts (1990–1993); other climate-induced disasters, such as cyclones, also have had devastating impacts, particularly on the Indian Ocean island states and east coast countries. To reduce the risk and impacts of disasters, governments must invest in disaster risk reduction (DRR). However, interventions aimed at reducing social and economic vulnerability and investing in long-term mitigation activities are often few, poorly funded, and insignificant in comparison with money spent on humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, and post-disaster reconstruction. This study investigated whether DRR is adequately funded within SADC member states ...
Current Journal of Applied Science and Technology
The purpose was to ascertain whether the Southern African Development Community (SADC) member sta... more The purpose was to ascertain whether the Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states have functional, people-centered early warning systems as part of their disaster risk management programs. The study adopted a mixed-method approach involving a review of relevant documentation, a self-administered questionnaire, and in-depth face-to-face interviews with senior managers and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) practitioners. Random and convenience sampling methods were used to select five Member States for data collection: Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mauritius, and Seychelles. A total of 50 respondents participated in the study. Thematic analysis was employed to capture critical perspectives. The findings show that all Member States have some early warning systems dominated more by meteorological weather agencies. However, very few Member States have attempted to develop an early warning system with all the requisite details for effective disaster risk reduction. There is ...
Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Natural Hazard Science, 2018
Disaster and natural hazard governance has become a significant policy and legislative focus in S... more Disaster and natural hazard governance has become a significant policy and legislative focus in South Africa since the early 1990s. Born out of necessity from a dysfunctional apartheid system, the new emphasis on disaster risk reduction in the democratic dispensation also ushered in a new era in the management of natural hazards and their associated risks and vulnerabilities. Widely cited as an international best practice in policy and law development, South Africa has led the way in natural hazard governance in sub-Sahara Africa as well as in much of the developing world. Various practices in natural hazard governance in South Africa are alluded to. Particular attention is given to the disaster risks of the country as well as to the various natural hazards that drive this risk profile. Statutory and legislative aspects are discussed through a multisectoral approach, and by citing a number of case studies, we show the application of natural hazard governance in South Africa. Certain...
Disasters have increased in frequency and their impact has been intensely felt on the continent. ... more Disasters have increased in frequency and their impact has been intensely felt on the continent. This frequently results in damage to the resources and infrastructure on which humans rely on for survival and quality of life. When disasters strike, large segments of the population are faced with devastating consequences, which include food shortages, limited shelter and inadequate health services. Disasters are a result of a complex mix of natural and other hazards, including human actions and vulnerabilities. They consist of a combination of factors that determine the potential for people to be exposed to particular types of hazards. The frequency and impact of disasters in South Africa has increased significantly, the most common type of disaster being drought. Droughts are the result of reduced amounts of rain received over a long period of time, but it includes delays at the beginning of the precipitation season that affects crops that depend on the rain. For the purpose of this study, agricultural and socioeconomic drought received attention. Agricultural drought is when the humidity in the soil is not sufficient to assist crop production and growth in the area. Socioeconomic drought arises when economic activities aligned with other elements do not meet the population demand. Agricultural droughts often have the latent effect of reducing agricultural production to such an extent that the livelihoods of the communal farmers are threatened. Drought effects often result in shrivelling crops, loss of water resources, vegetation and a decrease in livestock forage for communal farmers. This, in turn, leads to a decreased availability of food and the overall loss of livelihoods. In addition, activities such as crop growing and grazing conditions for livestock remain vulnerable, yet rural communities rely on these to generate income. The most severe impact of droughts do not simply include the absence of food supply for the community, but rather correlates directly with the severity and the duration of droughts. This often increases the community's vulnerability. The empirical findings were concluded from focus groups interviews and semistructured interviews as data collection for the study. The data collected from the field was compared to the Sustainable Livelihood Framework. The analysis revealed that drought mitigation in South Africa only exists in governmental policy documents. iii Moreover, the lack of a disaster management plan for Setlagole makes it difficult to prepare for drought. An inadequate relationship between farmers and the government also makes it difficult to create a sense of shared vision and mission for drought alleviation. One prominent issue that makes the effects of drought so severe is the process of relief; it takes too long for the government to give assistance to the farmers. This shows that mitigation measures are needed to prepare both the farmers and the government for drought.
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...
International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 2019
This article makes a case for including wildlife and human-wildlife conflicts in both research on... more This article makes a case for including wildlife and human-wildlife conflicts in both research on disasters and policies geared towards reducing the risk of disasters. It builds upon a scoping study conducted in Namibia to emphasise that wildlife hazards affect all dimensions of people's livelihoods, including physical, economic, human and natural resources, that are threatened at all time of the year, days and nights. In Namibia, the permanent and multidimensional nature of the threat makes wildlife the most significant hazard, ahead of seasonal flooding and drought. Nonetheless, wildlife hazards are absent of disaster risk reduction policies. Conversely, successful conservation policies have purposefully amplified wildlife hazards in hope of boosting associated tourism opportunities while human-wildlife conflict policies have so far focused on post-incident response and compensation. Wildlife hazards thus fall between the cracks of conservation policies, humanwildlife conflict management and disaster risk reduction.
Building Research and Information, 2007
Although most disasters are not entirely unexpected and therefore can, to varying degrees, be mit... more Although most disasters are not entirely unexpected and therefore can, to varying degrees, be mitigated for, the construction sector in the UK does not play a sufficiently integrated role in disaster risk management. This paper reports on research that is developing a knowledge database and decision support framework to enable more effective disaster risk management strategies from a construction perspective. Questionnaire surveys and semi-structured interviews were used to review the opinions of professionals involved with activities such as emergency planning, construction, urban planning and insurance on issues related to disaster risk management in the UK. The findings suggest that knowledge and awareness of integrated approaches is poor and the construction sector as a key stakeholder and potential resource is not being used sufficiently. The key recommendations are: construction related stakeholders need to become more involved in groups such as Local Resilience Teams and Forums; risk and hazard awareness training needs to be integrated systematically into the professional training of architects, planners, engineers, developers etc.; and the construction sector should embrace and preempt regulatory changes regarding resilient construction requirements.
International Journal of Disaster Risk Science
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, a regional economic body comprised of 1... more The Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, a regional economic body comprised of 16 member states, is one of our planet’s most vulnerable regions to natural hazards, and has a complex disaster risk profile. The region has sustained several disasters over the past decades. These events include annual floods in 2004–2019 and extreme droughts (1990–1993); other climate-induced disasters, such as cyclones, also have had devastating impacts, particularly on the Indian Ocean island states and east coast countries. To reduce the risk and impacts of disasters, governments must invest in disaster risk reduction (DRR). However, interventions aimed at reducing social and economic vulnerability and investing in long-term mitigation activities are often few, poorly funded, and insignificant in comparison with money spent on humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, and post-disaster reconstruction. This study investigated whether DRR is adequately funded within SADC member states ...
Current Journal of Applied Science and Technology
The purpose was to ascertain whether the Southern African Development Community (SADC) member sta... more The purpose was to ascertain whether the Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states have functional, people-centered early warning systems as part of their disaster risk management programs. The study adopted a mixed-method approach involving a review of relevant documentation, a self-administered questionnaire, and in-depth face-to-face interviews with senior managers and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) practitioners. Random and convenience sampling methods were used to select five Member States for data collection: Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mauritius, and Seychelles. A total of 50 respondents participated in the study. Thematic analysis was employed to capture critical perspectives. The findings show that all Member States have some early warning systems dominated more by meteorological weather agencies. However, very few Member States have attempted to develop an early warning system with all the requisite details for effective disaster risk reduction. There is ...
Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Natural Hazard Science, 2018
Disaster and natural hazard governance has become a significant policy and legislative focus in S... more Disaster and natural hazard governance has become a significant policy and legislative focus in South Africa since the early 1990s. Born out of necessity from a dysfunctional apartheid system, the new emphasis on disaster risk reduction in the democratic dispensation also ushered in a new era in the management of natural hazards and their associated risks and vulnerabilities. Widely cited as an international best practice in policy and law development, South Africa has led the way in natural hazard governance in sub-Sahara Africa as well as in much of the developing world. Various practices in natural hazard governance in South Africa are alluded to. Particular attention is given to the disaster risks of the country as well as to the various natural hazards that drive this risk profile. Statutory and legislative aspects are discussed through a multisectoral approach, and by citing a number of case studies, we show the application of natural hazard governance in South Africa. Certain...
Disasters have increased in frequency and their impact has been intensely felt on the continent. ... more Disasters have increased in frequency and their impact has been intensely felt on the continent. This frequently results in damage to the resources and infrastructure on which humans rely on for survival and quality of life. When disasters strike, large segments of the population are faced with devastating consequences, which include food shortages, limited shelter and inadequate health services. Disasters are a result of a complex mix of natural and other hazards, including human actions and vulnerabilities. They consist of a combination of factors that determine the potential for people to be exposed to particular types of hazards. The frequency and impact of disasters in South Africa has increased significantly, the most common type of disaster being drought. Droughts are the result of reduced amounts of rain received over a long period of time, but it includes delays at the beginning of the precipitation season that affects crops that depend on the rain. For the purpose of this study, agricultural and socioeconomic drought received attention. Agricultural drought is when the humidity in the soil is not sufficient to assist crop production and growth in the area. Socioeconomic drought arises when economic activities aligned with other elements do not meet the population demand. Agricultural droughts often have the latent effect of reducing agricultural production to such an extent that the livelihoods of the communal farmers are threatened. Drought effects often result in shrivelling crops, loss of water resources, vegetation and a decrease in livestock forage for communal farmers. This, in turn, leads to a decreased availability of food and the overall loss of livelihoods. In addition, activities such as crop growing and grazing conditions for livestock remain vulnerable, yet rural communities rely on these to generate income. The most severe impact of droughts do not simply include the absence of food supply for the community, but rather correlates directly with the severity and the duration of droughts. This often increases the community's vulnerability. The empirical findings were concluded from focus groups interviews and semistructured interviews as data collection for the study. The data collected from the field was compared to the Sustainable Livelihood Framework. The analysis revealed that drought mitigation in South Africa only exists in governmental policy documents. iii Moreover, the lack of a disaster management plan for Setlagole makes it difficult to prepare for drought. An inadequate relationship between farmers and the government also makes it difficult to create a sense of shared vision and mission for drought alleviation. One prominent issue that makes the effects of drought so severe is the process of relief; it takes too long for the government to give assistance to the farmers. This shows that mitigation measures are needed to prepare both the farmers and the government for drought.
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...
International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 2019
This article makes a case for including wildlife and human-wildlife conflicts in both research on... more This article makes a case for including wildlife and human-wildlife conflicts in both research on disasters and policies geared towards reducing the risk of disasters. It builds upon a scoping study conducted in Namibia to emphasise that wildlife hazards affect all dimensions of people's livelihoods, including physical, economic, human and natural resources, that are threatened at all time of the year, days and nights. In Namibia, the permanent and multidimensional nature of the threat makes wildlife the most significant hazard, ahead of seasonal flooding and drought. Nonetheless, wildlife hazards are absent of disaster risk reduction policies. Conversely, successful conservation policies have purposefully amplified wildlife hazards in hope of boosting associated tourism opportunities while human-wildlife conflict policies have so far focused on post-incident response and compensation. Wildlife hazards thus fall between the cracks of conservation policies, humanwildlife conflict management and disaster risk reduction.
Building Research and Information, 2007
Although most disasters are not entirely unexpected and therefore can, to varying degrees, be mit... more Although most disasters are not entirely unexpected and therefore can, to varying degrees, be mitigated for, the construction sector in the UK does not play a sufficiently integrated role in disaster risk management. This paper reports on research that is developing a knowledge database and decision support framework to enable more effective disaster risk management strategies from a construction perspective. Questionnaire surveys and semi-structured interviews were used to review the opinions of professionals involved with activities such as emergency planning, construction, urban planning and insurance on issues related to disaster risk management in the UK. The findings suggest that knowledge and awareness of integrated approaches is poor and the construction sector as a key stakeholder and potential resource is not being used sufficiently. The key recommendations are: construction related stakeholders need to become more involved in groups such as Local Resilience Teams and Forums; risk and hazard awareness training needs to be integrated systematically into the professional training of architects, planners, engineers, developers etc.; and the construction sector should embrace and preempt regulatory changes regarding resilient construction requirements.