On Saturday 28 June 2025, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) Minister Velenkosi Hlabisa and senior members of his office will be visiting Kliptown in Region G, Johannesburg South.
Minister Hlabisa will be leading an outreach initiative in Johannesburg, themed “Winter Risk Awareness”, focusing on disaster risk avoidance and preparedness from 8am in Nomzamo and Ezimbuzini informal settlements, Ward 19.
He will be accompanied by City of Johannesburg Executive Mayor Councillor (Cllr) Dada Morero together with several members of his mayoral committee as they jointly create awareness about the work of the G20 Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group (DRR WG).
“To foster inclusivity and knowledge-sharing, Ministers will engage in Outreach Programmes, promoting public awareness and understanding of the G20’s work.
This initiative will afford COGTA and the City of Johannesburg an opportunity to raise awareness, train communities, and drive behavioural change to enhance winter disaster risk avoidance and preparedness. This programme will also demonstrate the important alignment between the priorities of the G20 DRR WG and the local disaster risk reduction and mitigation efforts”, says Minister Hlabisa.
The City of Johannesburg Disaster Management Centre (CoJDMC) launched its Winter Risk Awareness Campaign on 10 June 2025 in Region F, Karsene Informal Settlement, Ward 65. The campaign will roll out citywide between June and September 2025, with focused messaging in Regions D, E, F, and G.
The annual campaign aims to address severe seasonal hazards affecting vulnerable communities, particularly in informal settlements, backyard dwellings, and high-rise buildings. Mayor Morero says:
“One of our priorities as the city, is to take care of the poor and vulnerable through the Expanded Social Programme and lifesaving, disaster preventative campaigns especially during Winter. So, the strategy is to align the activities of the Ministerial Outreach Programme on the day with the CoJ Winter Risk Awareness Campaign, which includes community workshops, door-to-door awareness drives, school exhibitions and emergency evacuation training”.
Mayor Morero has also been invited to the second in-person meeting of the G20 DRR WG at the Sandton International Convention Centre from 7 to 10 July 2025. He will deliver an opening address on Wednesday 9 July 2025 at the DRR WG meeting.
Winter presents immediate and severe risks for residents in informal settlements which are always prone to fires. Johannesburg has approximately 350 informal settlements most of which are concentrated in the South.
