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The threat of global warming to communities around the world especially in developing countries like South Africa is more real today than ever before.

The not so long ago tornado that ravaged the community of Duduza and robbed a family of its young one and left many homeless is just but one example of this.

Following the devastating tornado on October 2 it was clear more education on weather patterns was essential.

This culminated in a weather awareness road show in Duduza by the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality together with the South African Weather Service (SAWS) and the National Department of Environment on Monday, February 13 to educate the community to know what to do in the event of severe weather.

 “The purpose of the visit was to educate communities about the early warning system that is available for them to use. But more importantly, it was to inculcate a culture wherein people give regard to weather reports and warnings issued on radio and television,” explained member of mayoral committee responsible for community safety Clr Mthuthuzeli Siboza.

According to the general manager operations at SAWS who is also a weather forecaster on SABC 1, Mnikeli Ndabambi, the early warning systems takes form of three warning signs and each sign is colour coded.

 “The first one is the yellow sign which alerts of severe or rather abnormal weather pattern; orange cautions to take precautionary measures due the level of abnormal weather conditions expected and a red sign demands action be taken,” said, adding that these signs are televised on SABC since October 2011 and should be regarded seriously.

He also clarified that the SA weather Service is also using indigenous knowledge to understand how primitive people interpreted the weather; dismissing the highly held view that tornado is a snake.

“The shape of the tornado as it rotates from a moist environment in the sky landing into the dry land gives a shape of the snake and the old people therefore observed and described it as a snake. However, it is a form of weather pattern,” he stated.

Furthermore, he explained that the current technology available in the country cannot forecast a tornado accurately. However, it can forecast severe weather patterns which may result in a tornado.

“What we are essentially saying is that once we issue severe weather condition warning, people should expect anything from torrential floods, heavy hail storms and to the extreme – a tornado, which is rare in the history of South Africa,” he said.

The Deputy Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs Rejoice Mabudafhasi said the recently held Conference of the Parties of the Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 17) on the country’s shores meant that South Africans could no longer ignore the importance of education on global warming and its effect on the environment.  


 END


Issued by

Justice Mohale
Acting Media Relations Unit Manager
083 417 6999/011 999 0066