Notice No. 4231

22 December 2023

GG 49952

Department of Co-operative Governance

I, Dr Elias Sithole, in my capacity as the Head of the National Disaster Management Centre, after having and the Free State Provincial Disaster Management Centre, and after assessing the magnitude and severity of the impact of severe weather accompanied by disruptive rains, lightning thunderstorms and strong winds during on 6 and 7 December 2023, causing devastating impacts across the province of the Free State that resulted in injury, damage to property, infrastructure and the environment, as well as the disruption of basic services, and after having considered the information and recommendations received from the Free State Provincial Disaster Management Centre, I hereby give notice that on 14 December 2023, in terms of Section 23(1)(b) of the Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act No.  57 of 2002), I classified this occurrence as a Provincial Disaster.

Emanating from the classification of this occurrence as a Provincial disaster, in terms of section 40 read with section 23 of the Act, the primary responsibility to coordinate and manage this disaster, in terms of existing legislation and contingency arrangements, is designated to the Provincial Executive.

I hereby, in terms of Section 15(2)(aA) of the Act, read with section 23(8), call upon organs of state to further strengthen support to existing structures to implement contingency arrangements and ensure that measures are put in place to enable the Provincial Executive to effectively deal with the effects of this disaster.

Furthermore, all affected organs of state must prepare and submit reports, as required by the Provincial Disaster Management Centre as outlined in section 24(4) - (8) of the Act.

The revocation of the classification is set out in the schedule hereto.

Dr Elias Sithole

Head: National Disaster Management Centre

Date: 14 December 2023