NDMC Overview
The National Disaster Management Centre is established in terms of Section 8 of the Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act No 57 of 2002) (DMA). The National Centre functions as an institution within the public service and forms part of, and functions within, a department of state (DCOG) for which the Minister is responsible.The objective of the National Centre is to promote an integrated and co-ordinated system of disaster management, with special emphasis on prevention and mitigation, by national, provincial and municipal organs of state, statutory functionaries, other role-players involved in disaster management and communities.The National Centre is also responsible for the administration of the Fire Brigade Services Act, 1987 (Act No 99 of 1987) (FBSA)Within the South African environment, disaster management is a shared responsibility which must be fostered through partnerships between the various stakeholders and co-operative relationships between the different spheres of government, the private sector and civil society.
Furthermore, disaster management is an intergovernmental process, with each sphere of government playing a unique role and performing a specific set of responsibilities in the process. The DMA makes provision for the establishment of Disaster Management Centres across all spheres of government.The general powers and duties of the Nation Centre are stipulated in Section 15 of the DMA and this includes the following:must specialise in issues concerning disasters and disaster management:may act as an advisory and consultative body on issues concerning disasters and disaster management must promote the recruitment, training and participation of volunteers in disaster management;must promote disaster management capacity building, training and education throughout the Republic, including in schools, and, to the extent that it may be appropriate. in other southern African states;Section 6 of the DMA stipulates that the Minister must prescribe a national disaster management framework.
The national disaster management framework is the legal instrument specified by the Act to address such needs for consistency across multiple interest groups, by providing 'a coherent, transparent and inclusive policy on disaster management appropriate for the Republic as a whole' in terms of Section 7(1) of the DMA. The national disaster management framework comprises four key performance areas (KPAs) and three supportive enablers required to achieve the objectives set out in the KPAs. The KPAs and enablers are informed by specified objectives and, as required by the Act, key performance indicators (KPIs) to guide and monitor progress. In addition, each KPA and enabler concludes with a list of guidelines that will be disseminated by the NDMC to support the implementation of the framework in all three spheres of government. The diagram below depicts the interface between the four KPAs and how the three Enablers: The FBSA is administered by the Directorate Fire Services. The primary objective of this Directorate is to oversee, manage and provide oversight in the efficient implementation of the FBSA, and other related policies and strategies on fire services nationally. This Directorate provide secretariat services to the Fire Brigade Board.
