The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Mr. Velenkosini Hlabisa, will officially open the “Drones, AI and GIS for Disaster Risk Management in Southern Africa” Conference and Workshop to be held from 3–5 November 2025 in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.

The annual conference brings together national, regional, and international stakeholders to explore how emerging technologies such as drones, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can strengthen disaster risk management and resilience across Southern Africa.

This year’s theme focuses on harnessing innovation for localised disaster response, in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Early Warning for All initiative. The event will feature practical demonstrations, strategic dialogues, and collaboration sessions aimed at developing a regional action plan to integrate geospatial technology into disaster preparedness and response systems.

The conference is jointly organised by South Africa Flying Labs, QP Drone Tech, WeRobotics, and Esri, in partnership with the KZN Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), the eThekwini Municipality, academia, and private sector partners.

Details of the Opening Session are as follows:

*Venue:* Radisson Hotel, Umhlanga

*Date:* Monday, 3 November 2025

*Time:* 09:00

Ends –

For media inquiries, please contact:

Ms. Pearl Maseko-Binqose

Media Liaison Officer for the Minister

082 7721 709 . . Mr. Legadima Leso

Head of Communications, CoGTA

082 800 3475

Issued by the Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs