From 17 to 19 June 2025, Capricorn District Municipality in South Africa hosted a three-day workshop on Urban Risk-Informed Development Planning and Making Cities Resilient 2030. The training was jointly organized by the municipality, Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Regional Office for Africa, under the GIZ Resilience Initiative Africa project.
Located in Limpopo Province, Capricorn faces multiple hazards such as floods, drought, wildfires, and heatwaves. This makes resilience planning not just relevant but critical. Through participatory exercises, government officials and local stakeholders worked to build their capacities and identify priority actions for disaster risk reduction (DRR).
Stakeholders were introduced to DRR frameworks to guide their understanding and action planning. This included a comprehensive orientation on the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, which emphasizes the need for a multi-hazard, multi-sectoral approach to managing disaster risk, and the Making Cities Resilient 2030 (MCR2030) initiative, particularly its Ten Essentials for Making Cities Resilient. These frameworks served as the conceptual backbone for local resilience planning.
Participants were guided through the practical application of the Disaster Resilience Scorecard for Cities, a diagnostic tool designed to measure urban resilience across critical sectors. Stakeholders collectively reviewed Capricorn District's resilience performance, identifying strengths, gaps, and opportunities for improvement. The assessment provided a baseline to inform strategic planning, resource prioritization, and future investments in resilience-building across the district.
"Resilience is not optional; it is essential. Through honest reflection and active collaboration, we can build inclusive, adaptive communities aligned with the Sendai Framework and the SDGs," said Councilor Pemme Jossuf.
The assessment revealed that while foundational systems for disaster resilience are in place, several critical gaps still need to be addressed. These include the need for better integration of DRR in spatial planning, stronger financial mechanisms for resilience, safeguarding of natural ecosystem and the need for more inclusive engagement with at risk communities.
"Seeing our real scores motivates us to prioritize actions where they matter most. This is exactly the kind of systemic, practical work that sets a foundation for long-term resilience across the SADC region" shared Mr. Mpheehe Machaba, the executive manager for community services, Capricorn District Municipality.
The workshop emphasized the importance of inclusive risk-informed planning, integration of Disaster Risk Management (DRM) in performance management, and the use of local knowledge to protect at risk communities. Special focus was placed on aligning local strategies with national policies and international frameworks like the Sendai Framework, SDG 11- Sustainable Cities and Communities and SDG 13- Climate Action, and South Africa's DRM legislation.
"The Scorecard isn't just a technical tool but a means through which cities understand where they are, where they need to go, and how to get there, " said Carolyne Mengich, the associate programme management officer at UNDRR.
The final day of the workshop was dedicated to the co-creation of draft DRR Action Plans specifically tailored to the local context, risks, and institutional capacities of the Capricorn District. Building on the insights from the Scorecard assessment, participants identified priority actions across multiple sectors including coordination, infrastructure, social services, and information management and communication. Emphasis was placed on ensuring that the action plans were realistic, inclusive, and locally owned. There was broad consensus that effective implementation will require a phased approach, beginning with quick wins and capacity-building measures, followed by more resource-intensive structural interventions. Participants also recognized that sustained progress hinges on strong multi-stakeholder coordination, inclusive of government departments, local municipalities, civil society, the private sector, and technical partners. The Capricorn experience underscores how locally driven, globally informed resilience building can guide municipalities in South Africa and beyond.
