By Celani Sikhakhane
The premier of KwaZulu-Natal has called on traditional leaders to make their land available to help the government and municipalities tackle climate change, which continues to displace vulnerable communities.
Thami Ntuli spoke at a media briefing on Thursday in Durban, where he also announced plans to minimise the carbon emissions caused by factories that contribute to global warming.
Ntuli and KZN government officials attended the New York Climate Week last week and said they learned a lot.
“Our province has experienced the deadly climate change that has caused floods, snow and even wildfires. Therefore, we call on traditional leaders to also fight against these natural disasters by providing safe land for our people [and helping in disaster risk management],” Ntuli
KZN traditional leaders are the custodians of over three million hectares of land through the Ingonyama Trust, which King Misuzulu kaZwelithini chairs.
Their villages have plenty of land, not all of which is used, and large portions of it are said to be safe from flooding, especially during heavy rains.
The premier warned of the dangers of informal settlements in flood-prone areas and urged communities to avoid living in dangerous places such as floodplains and dry riverbeds.
Ntuli called on the industrial sector to provide funding to combat the environmental effects of carbon emissions.
He said the KZN government will create a fund with the national government to fight the effects of climate change.
To improve KZN’s response to climate emergencies, Ntuli announced the formation of the KwaZulu-Natal Climate Change and Sustainability Council to serve as a platform for stakeholder engagement.
The council will include provincial and local government representatives, traditional leaders, civil society organisations, businesses, academia, and media.
KZN has suffered huge disasters because of climate change, from the deadly floods in 2022 to a tornado in Verulam; recent snow that left motorists stuck for days on the N3 and veld fires that killed family members in uMngeni.
The province lacks warning systems to respond effectively to the climate crisis, and the premier stressed the importance of obtaining the necessary predictive technologies to help KZN be better prepared for climate emergencies.
Pictured above: KZN Premier Thami Ntuli called on traditional leaders to avail their land in a fight against climate change.
Source: Supplied
