This thesis aims to investigate and describe what Disaster Risk Reduction and Risk Management looks like in Zimbabwe through the research question “How is Disaster Risk Reduction implemented and executed in Zimbabwe?”. Exactly what will be analyzed in this paper is then what actions are done in Zimbabwe to prevent disasters, how they plan and implement actions and policies, how they handle ongoing disasters and also how they deal with the aftermath of disasters. This is to see how a country such as Zimbabwe with their preconditions and circumstances performs when it comes to Disaster Risk Reduction and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. The results show that Zimbabwe has established different measures to handle the matter, such as creating the Department for Civil Protection and the Civil Protection Act among many other things, but that despite their efforts they might need to further improve some aspects.

This study aims to explore if learning through policy change is possible after natural disastersoccur. Previous studies are divided concerning if natural disasters in fact lead to learning or policy change taking place. Thomas Birkland and his theory on “event related learning” suggest that it is possible for learning to take place after a ”focusing event” has occurred, which in turn forces policy to change. Through an operationalization of Birkland’s concept of learning, this study seeks to explore how learning can be understood to have occurred, due to and during the 10 years after the earthquake struck Haiti in 2010. The study concludes that there are many different indicators through multiple different sectors that suggest both learning and policy change has taken place on Haiti, due to the earthquake that occurred in 2010, viewed through Birkland’s theory of learning.

Disaster risk reduction (DRR) is an important strategy for preventing the consequences of climate change. The Sendai Framework states that all countries need to implement national strategies for DRR, which Sweden has not yet done. The scientific problem is partly that there is a lack of research on DRR in welfare countries, and partly that Sweden's municipalities' strategies to control risk reduction are relatively unexplored. The purpose of the paper is therefore to contribute to filling these knowledge gaps, and to map and evaluate Sweden's municipalities' governance work with DRR, to examine whether the municipalities follow the same guidelines or whether the work is carried out completely differently in all municipalities. The study is conducted with a theoretical framework based on the Sendai framework, polycentric governance and disaster risk governance. The method used is qualitative thematic content analysis, where Arjeplog, Gävle, Gothenburg, Helsingborg and Ljusdal's governance documents are analysed based on the theoretical framework. The results showed that the five municipalities internally govern DRR relatively well, where the main shortcoming, however, is that no municipality uses DRR as a concept. The conclusions are therefore that municipalities need to include DRR more in their governance documents, to make beneficial and deficient factors visible. Governance between municipalities and at different levels is also in need of further development and research.

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / Greater capacity for cities to be disaster resilient is needed. Public-private partnership enhances municipal capacity. This study therefore, interrogates the relationship between the City of Cape Town and its disaster relief partners. It is mainly concerned with policy implementation, and as such, investigates disaster management policy implementation in relation to public-private partnerships. The objectivesof the study were to provide a conceptual framework that defines the terms eminent in the practice and study of disaster management, particularly those that characterize public-private partnerships in the City of Cape Town; to explore the legislative mandate that makes provisions for disaster management and the funding of public-private partnerships in municipalities; to document the current practice of public-private partnerships in the City of Cape Town; to highlight noted challenges in the partnership and where necessary, recommend alternative policy implementation options for enhanced partnership sustainable capacity for disaster relief. The researcher deemed it expedient to utilize the qualitative method for the purposes of the adeptness it affords in expediting malleable, arduous investigation in engaging with the phenomena that “unfold[s] in real-world situations.” As far as the findings of this study are concerned, the public-private partnership of the City of Cape Town with its disaster relief partners is a successful one. It is effective in bringing the much needed awareness and relief to devastated communities. There are four main challenges that impact on this disaster relief partnership have been realized by this study. These namely are the delays in the reimbursement process, the constant change of government personnel dealing with relief partners, absence of a disaster relief official on the sites of distress and unsubsidized expenses incurred by the relief partners. Having realized these challenges, the study makes policy implementation recommendations.

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / The problem question of this study is how the City of Cape Town, as a metro municipality went about implementing Disaster Risk Assessments. While the National Disaster Management Centre acknowledges that municipalities are battling to perform Disaster Risk Assessments. Understanding what was done, by whom and when will aid in the understanding of implementing Disaster Risk Assessments. Uncovering the prospects and challenges they faced and will help shed light on the guidance that is required by other municipalities, although this study’s inference is limited by the methodology. The relatively new Disaster Management Act requires a shift from old civil defence legislation to a proactive disaster risk reduction mode, with new institutional arrangements. The shift to a proactive disaster risk reduction approach required by the new legislation cannot be achieved without firstly implementing these new institutional and policy arrangements and secondly, implementing this first and vital step in the disaster risk reduction process namely, Disaster Risk Assessments. The study also seeks to understand in the community was involved. This is a qualitative study, i.e. it contains descriptive statistics and narratives. It used questionnaires to provide numerical and descriptive data to measure compliance to the Disaster Management Act in terms of the institutional arrangements implemented by the City of Cape Town. Secondly, qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interviews to provide data to understand the challenges and prospects encountered in performing Disaster Risk Assessments. A literature review was also undertaken to highlight the current debates in Disaster Risk Reduction. The stratified sample was from the officials employed at the City’s Disaster Management Centre, Area Managers, NGOs, Ward Councillors and Consultants. The data was collated and the analysed. The objective is to primarily understand what was done, by whom, when and secondly to understand the prospects and challenges faced. The findings, recommendations and areas of future study are captured in this research report.

The influx of youth abusing substances is a major problem. The effect of substance abuse may have far-reaching consequences for defining the vulnerability of the offending group as well as for contributing to the disaster risk faced by the community as a whole. The effects of substance abuse on young people have the potential to contribute to an increased vulnerability of this group. It becomes the responsibility of the family and community to bear the burden of its drug-afflicted members and the implications of their addiction. The study was conducted in Bekkersdal, which is a community that has a significant problem with youth abusing substances. The degree to which their abuse affects families and the broader community in terms of increasing risk has not been examined. The dissertation aims to evaluate the effect of substance abuse among the youth on the risk profile of the Bekkersdal community. According to Disaster Risk Reduction, one of the important activities of the state is to increase capacity of communities and households to minimize the risk that may occur and also most importantly, monitoring the likelihood of and the state of alertness to disasters that may occur. A qualitative, explorative research design was employed and data gathered using structured interviews involving 30 adults namely School Principals, Teachers, Community Social workers, Community Leaders, Religious Leaders, Disaster managers and a Nurse from the area. The interviews were analysed by means of themes. The research indicated that substance-abusing youth create conditions which undermine human, physical and social capital and hence contribute to instability in the livelihood-based system. It was also evident to this research that it encourages the importance of engaging community members in discussions about aspects that concern them which is an empowerment process in itself. As they become more involved, they also have hope that things will work better for them by actively rebuilding their own lives and communities. All the information gathered revealed the link between the negative impacts of substance abuse and its risk profile in the Bekkersdal community. / M Development and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The need for the focus for inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge (IK) into policy is largely informed by a globalisation process that is characterised by increased knowledge sharing of different cultural and lingual groups. Indigenous knowledge has been an essential survival tool for humans since time immemorial and there is a connection between IK and disaster risk reduction (DRR). Increasingly indigenous knowledge is being valued internationally as a useful resource for dealing with modern problems. The thesis made a case of effectively including IK into DRR policy in Zimbabwe. Focus group discussion, transect walks, document analysis and participatory interviewing methods involving more than 138 participants were employed to gain insights of IK practices and measures used for DRR in four districts (Mangwe, Hwedza, Lupane and Guruve) in Zimbabwe. There are no easy answers for advocating for the inclusion of IK into DRR policy for obtaining IK from participants take time and there is need for patience. However, the main categories of IK emerging from this study contribute to the emerging IK/DRR practices body of knowledge, spanning social science disciplines. The research found that the most used IK domains for components of DRR identified are individual inherited knowledge and knowledge known to the community. Other IK domains used are knowledge practiced by individuals if known to individuals, acquired the skill to practice it faithfully without modification, individual rights to use the modified and unmodified knowledge according to same rules and acquired the skill to practice it faithfully with modification. Communities that have inherited IK, have abilities to observe their surroundings using plants (environmental ethic) and animals (ecological ethic) to develop indicators that can be used to predict disaster risk. There are many IK experts in rural communities for human and animal health. IK use in DRR is about agency, notwithstanding political and economic context. Rural communities’ agency are continuously reviving and becoming more innovative in developing IK technologies for DRR. The inclusion of IK into DRR policy becomes very relevant in that IK categories identified can be used for DRR. Finally, on the basis of the findings suggestions and road map for the inclusion of IK through a broader education strategy has been provided. The suggestion for the inclusion of IK into DRR is either through decentralisation, partnership or devolution. With decentralisation, responsibilities can be delegated with limited authority to dispersed units of hierarchical jurisdiction while in devolution there is a creation of some realms of authority that have autonomy. The thesis recommended that IK requires institutional linkages reinforcement between DRR and rural sectors (local government, village assemblies, traditional leaders, IK experts) and improving quality of education, and incorporating IK for DRR in the education curriculum from primary schools to university level. / PhD (Development and Management), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The influx of youth abusing substances is a major problem. The effect of substance abuse may have far-reaching consequences for defining the vulnerability of the offending group as well as for contributing to the disaster risk faced by the community as a whole. The effects of substance abuse on young people have the potential to contribute to an increased vulnerability of this group. It becomes the responsibility of the family and community to bear the burden of its drug-afflicted members and the implications of their addiction. The study was conducted in Bekkersdal, which is a community that has a significant problem with youth abusing substances. The degree to which their abuse affects families and the broader community in terms of increasing risk has not been examined. The dissertation aims to evaluate the effect of substance abuse among the youth on the risk profile of the Bekkersdal community. According to Disaster Risk Reduction, one of the important activities of the state is to increase capacity of communities and households to minimize the risk that may occur and also most importantly, monitoring the likelihood of and the state of alertness to disasters that may occur. A qualitative, explorative research design was employed and data gathered using structured interviews involving 30 adults namely School Principals, Teachers, Community Social workers, Community Leaders, Religious Leaders, Disaster managers and a Nurse from the area. The interviews were analysed by means of themes. The research indicated that substance-abusing youth create conditions which undermine human, physical and social capital and hence contribute to instability in the livelihood-based system. It was also evident to this research that it encourages the importance of engaging community members in discussions about aspects that concern them which is an empowerment process in itself. As they become more involved, they also have hope that things will work better for them by actively rebuilding their own lives and communities. All the information gathered revealed the link between the negative impacts of substance abuse and its risk profile in the Bekkersdal community. / M Development and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The need for the focus for inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge (IK) into policy is largely informed by a globalisation process that is characterised by increased knowledge sharing of different cultural and lingual groups. Indigenous knowledge has been an essential survival tool for humans since time immemorial and there is a connection between IK and disaster risk reduction (DRR). Increasingly indigenous knowledge is being valued internationally as a useful resource for dealing with modern problems. The thesis made a case of effectively including IK into DRR policy in Zimbabwe. Focus group discussion, transect walks, document analysis and participatory interviewing methods involving more than 138 participants were employed to gain insights of IK practices and measures used for DRR in four districts (Mangwe, Hwedza, Lupane and Guruve) in Zimbabwe. There are no easy answers for advocating for the inclusion of IK into DRR policy for obtaining IK from participants take time and there is need for patience. However, the main categories of IK emerging from this study contribute to the emerging IK/DRR practices body of knowledge, spanning social science disciplines. The research found that the most used IK domains for components of DRR identified are individual inherited knowledge and knowledge known to the community. Other IK domains used are knowledge practiced by individuals if known to individuals, acquired the skill to practice it faithfully without modification, individual rights to use the modified and unmodified knowledge according to same rules and acquired the skill to practice it faithfully with modification. Communities that have inherited IK, have abilities to observe their surroundings using plants (environmental ethic) and animals (ecological ethic) to develop indicators that can be used to predict disaster risk. There are many IK experts in rural communities for human and animal health. IK use in DRR is about agency, notwithstanding political and economic context. Rural communities’ agency are continuously reviving and becoming more innovative in developing IK technologies for DRR. The inclusion of IK into DRR policy becomes very relevant in that IK categories identified can be used for DRR. Finally, on the basis of the findings suggestions and road map for the inclusion of IK through a broader education strategy has been provided. The suggestion for the inclusion of IK into DRR is either through decentralisation, partnership or devolution. With decentralisation, responsibilities can be delegated with limited authority to dispersed units of hierarchical jurisdiction while in devolution there is a creation of some realms of authority that have autonomy. The thesis recommended that IK requires institutional linkages reinforcement between DRR and rural sectors (local government, village assemblies, traditional leaders, IK experts) and improving quality of education, and incorporating IK for DRR in the education curriculum from primary schools to university level. / PhD (Development and Management), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Masters Research - Master of Science / Recent flash floods and landslides in the Philippines have caused many fatalities, loss of livelihoods; destroyed infrastructures, damaged natural resources and displaced several communities. Investigation of five disaster cases of flash floods and landslides from 1991 to 2006 was undertaken to gain an understanding of the causes, behaviour, distribution and biophysical impacts of these recurrent natural hazards. Sustaining healthy and resilient communities and protecting the ecosystem from natural disasters is a key development goal. Therefore, communities at risk need to adequately prepare for, respond to, and recover from the impacts of these natural disasters. A theory model on community resilience called the Landslip-Disaster Quadrant Model was developed to examine the capacity for resilience and the vulnerability of threatened communities. Six building blocks comprise this Model. A community study of the February 17, 2006 landslides in St. Bernard, Southern Leyte, was conducted to test and refine this Model. Major findings of the study have revealed that flash floods and landslides have been frequent due to changing climatic patterns and greater interaction of natural processes. Extreme weather conditions have resulted in intense rainfall that seeps through fractures and cracks in the ground. Rains saturate and loosen soil particles, weaken slope resistance, triggering landslides that formed natural dams. Failure of these natural dams or log jams caused flash floods and debris flows. The rapidity and destructiveness of these hazards were influenced by the angular position of sliding materials, slope resistance, type of cascading materials caught in the flow, river channel configuration, and human structures that obstruct and/or intensify overflow. These were the physical conditions of vulnerability to disasters in the five cases of natural disaster investigated. Rural livelihoods and the economic base of the local people in Saint Bernard, Southern Leyte, were limited and subsistent. Though the local people have a high literacy rate, they have inadequate understanding of the natural processes associated with landslides. Natural observations such as receding water levels in the river, fractures and cracks in the ground on the mountain, excessive rains and landslides in nearby communities could have been used as early warnings by the local people and authorities for safe evacuation. Many lives in Guinsaugon village could have thus been saved from the deadly landslides of 17 February 2006. Political interests have affected progress of resettlement housing and development projects that obliged many local people to extend the period spent living in the evacuation centres. However, the local people were expressive of their faith and hope to rise from the tragedy. These ‘bouncing back’ attitudes of the local people were indicative of their strong cultural values that formed the core of their coping capacity for natural disasters. The results of the community study tested and refined the Landslip-Disaster Quadrant Model. Among the six blocks for building a disaster-resilient community, cultural values and local norms ranked first. This is followed by ecological security, then livelihood sufficiency and economic base, and further by human health and wellness. The last two blocks were structural networks and institutional arrangements, and political will and priorities. This Model could form the framework for a Comprehensive Landslide and Flash Flood Disaster Risk Assessment in the Philippines. The community assessment toolkit developed in this study could be expanded further into policy and planning guidelines of the National Disaster Coordinating Council of the Philippines.