In 2012, IFRC Disaster Law commissioned a report analysing legislation relating to disaster risk reduction in South Africa. The report was one of several case studies undertaken to learn about how legislation can support or impede disaster risk reduction, particularly at the community level.
In 2020, a desktop mapping of South Africa’s legal framework applicable to international disaster response was conducted, using the Checklist on the Facilitation and Regulation of International Disaster Relief and Initial Recovery Assistance (the IDRL Checklist). This activity formed part of a larger exercise to map the IDRL frameworks of ten countries within Southern Africa, to identify and analyse the legal and policy arrangements for international disaster response across the region. These mappings have been compiled in a report entitled Legal Preparedness for International Disaster Assistance in Southern Africa: Regional Assessment and Country Profiles (the Report). The Report provides an overview of IDRL frameworks at global, regional, sub-regional level and national levels, assesses the legal preparedness of states in the sub-region to facilitate international assistance in the event that a disaster exceeds national capacities, and proposes recommendations to strengthen IDRL in the sub-region. A summary version of the Report, which contains the executive summary and regional analysis, is also available.
In 2022, IFRC Disaster Law developed an opinion piece on the role of legal preparedness and the key lessons learned from the devastating floods that South Africa experienced in April 2022. The piece covers how disaster risk reduction and the resilience of communities most vulnerable to disasters and extreme weather events in South Africa can be strengthened through enhancing legal preparedness for disasters.
In light of the floods occurring in the beginning of the 2023, an IDRL emergency fact sheet has been developed to provide key information on the regulatory and policy environment that applies to floods preparedness and response. Specifically targeted towards members of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, this document can support decision-making processes to optimise international disaster assistance.
