Flood is known to be the leading cause of natural disasters globally leaving disastrous and devastating damages in its wake. Flood risk and their time of occurrence is usually difficult to monitor and predict without appropriate tools for continuous monitoring. Extreme and frequent rainfall is one of the major causes of flood disasters. Assessment of flood hazards and its subsequent analysis using the standardized precipitation index (SPI) is very effective in the prediction of flood risk with the strength of the SPI being the use of rainfall as the only input variable. The SPI is found to be valuable in prediction of meteorological and hydrological floods such as flash floods, groundwater floods and dam burst. The knowledge of the occurrence of these flooding events can be very beneficial in preventing extensive damages to property, infrastructure, agriculture, and loss of life. The aim of this study is to assess flood hazard in eThekwini metropolitan area by examining the trend of flood events from 1985 to 2016 by the use of the SPI and its potential to predict flood risk in the study area. The results show that SPI properly explains the development of the conditions leading up to the occurrence of floods events in the analyzed period. Thus, is indispensable in the assessment of flood risk leading to an accurate prediction. The knowledge of the pattern and trends obtained from the SPI analysis is valuable to decision‐makers for efficient flood risk management plans in the promotion of preventive actions for mitigating the impacts of floods.

Freshwater resources remain under constant pressure due to population growth, economic development, and changing weather patterns. Water supply utilities generally struggle to keep up with the growing demand for freshwater resources and consequently adopt demand management policies to address supply challenges. As water consumers, households can play a major role in water conservation. This paper examines the impact of biographic characteristics on water consumption behaviour and the adoption of water-efficient technologies in the city of Durban, South Africa. Probit regression models are estimated using survey data collected from 300 household heads sampled across the city. Among other results, the study finds income as the most consistent determinant of water consumption behaviours and the adoption of water-efficient technologies. Furthermore, the level of education was also found to be a consistent determinant of the adoption and installation of water-efficient technologies. These results are significant and serve to guide water utilities when implementing demand management water policies.

In recent years, many parts of South Africa have been devastated by floods, impacting severely on the most vulnerable communities. Despite measures to reduce flood risk, and implementation of adaptation measures, there is always a measure of harm to livelihoods, health and wellbeing, and the economy, which persist far beyond flood events. This is of particular concern as flood events have increased in frequency and severity. A review of literature, addressing flood risk management, mitigation and adaptation in vulnerable coastal communities of South Africa, was conducted, to determine how to manage residual risks through implementation of resilience and recovery programs, employing suitable tools, inclusive of appropriate multidisciplinary stakeholders. This study interrogated different approaches used to assess social vulnerabilities, risk perception and the role of risk communication and information dissemination. Economic implications pertaining to tourism, livelihoods and loss of natural and built infrastructure were analyzed. Risk tools including early warning systems and risk assessment models were analyzed, and various future scenarios were explored. Possible opportunities presented by negative impacts of residual risks to achieving the SDGs were explored. The findings indicate that strengthening resilience depends heavily on collaboration across sectors to cater for local needs. Cooperation between government, private sector and communities is critical to achieving sustainable solutions to residual risk management.

South Africa continues to grapple with one of the world's highest rates of gender-based violence (GBV). The #TotalShutdown marches marked a pivotal moment as women rallied against GBV, echoing the resounding call of "enough is enough" nationwide, and emphasising the urgency for collective action and robust leadership. In response to this call, and with KwaZulu-Natal being the leading province in the country in relation to GBV and other reported sexual offences, the provincial government under the Department of Social Development (DSD) held a men’s colloquium in 2021 to listen to the voices of the men, who are often regarded as “perpetrators” of GBV, through a dialogue session. The DSD held these dialogues in all 11 districts of Kwa-Zulu Natal, with the aim of affording men in the province an opportunity to speak about their perspectives on what they considered as causes of GBV in the province. A total of 548 men from the 11 districts attended the dialogue session. Data from the dialogue was extracted for this paper. The paper adopts an exploratory qualitative approach, utilising data collected from the dialogues to delve into men's perceptions regarding the root causes of GBV in KwaZulu-Natal. The paper examines whether a correlation exists between government gender-specific economic empowerment initiatives and male resentment or anger towards women in the region. The study reveals that the exclusion of men in the execution of women empowerment programmes in the province, leaves men feeling disenfranchised, demonised and demoralised. While the findings are confined to the KwaZulu-Natal province and thus not generalisable, they offer valuable insights that can guide efforts to enhance the inclusivity of gender-related programmes, ultimately aiding in the ongoing battle against GBV.

This study investigates changes in Near-Surface Air Temperature (NSAT) over the South African region using weather station data, reanalysis products, and Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) model outputs. It is shown that, based on ERA5 reanalysis, the average NSAT increase in the region (45–10° S, 0–50° E) for the period 1940–2023 was 0.11 ± 0.04 °C. Weak multi-decadal changes in NSAT were observed from 1940 to the mid-1970s, followed by a rapid warming trend starting in the mid-1970s. Weather station data generally confirm these results, although they exhibit considerable inter-station variability. An ensemble of 33 CMIP6 models also reproduces these multi-decadal NSAT change characteristics. Specifically, the average model-simulated NSAT values for the region increased by 0.63 ± 0.12 °C between the periods 1940–1969 and 1994–2023. Based on the results of the comparison between weather station observations, reanalysis, and models, we utilize projections of NSAT changes from the analyzed ensemble of 33 CMIP6 models until the end of the 21st century under various Shared Socioeconomic Pathway (SSP) scenarios. These projections indicate that the average NSAT of the South African region will increase between 1994–2023 and 2070–2099 by 0.92 ± 0.36 °C under the SSP1-2.6 scenario, by 1.73 ± 0.44 °C under SSP2-4.5, by 2.52 ± 0.50 °C under SSP3-7.0, and by 3.17 ± 0.68 °C under SSP5-8.5. Between 1994–2023 and 2025–2054, the increase in average NSAT for the studied region, considering inter-model spread, will be 0.49–1.15 °C, depending on the SSP scenario. Furthermore, climate warming in South Africa, both in the next 30 years and by the end of the 21st century, is projected to occur according to all 33 CMIP6 models under all considered SSP scenarios. The main spatial feature of this warming is a more significant increase in NSAT over the landmass of the studied region compared to its surrounding waters, due to the stabilizing role of the ocean.