Paul Chipangura

Purpose: To examine how indigenous knowledge intersects with formal early warning systems in cyclone-prone Mozambique, and how these interactions shape risk perception, trust and community preparedness within the EW4All agenda. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative case study was conducted in 24 coastal communities. Purposively selected key informants were interviewed, transcripts were translated and thematically analysed, drawing on PADM and SARF to interpret warning uptake. Findings: Communities interpret dreams, environmental cues and ancestral guidance as legitimate indicators of impending hazards. When these align with scientific alerts and are relayed by trusted leaders, credibility increases and protective actions occur earlier. Research limitations/implications: Findings are derived from a single district and a qualitative sample, which limits their generalisability. Future research should test hybrid warning approaches comparatively and evaluate behavioural outcomes using mixed methods. Practical implications: Embedding local leaders in dissemination pathways, documenting indigenous indicators, and co-producing messages with meteorological services can improve trust, comprehension and timeliness of community responses. Social implications: Recognising indigenous knowledge promotes inclusion, strengthens last-mile communication and builds locally legitimate systems that better reach vulnerable groups often underserved by purely technical warnings. Originality/value: The study reframes indigenous knowledge as an operational early warning asset, demonstrating how hybrid systems can enhance anticipatory governance when aligned with EW4All principles.

Purpose: This study sought to elucidate the process, mechanism and outcomes of anticipatory action (AA) initiatives at relevant governance levels in Zimbabwe with a view to drawing lessons that will inform future strategies and approaches, policy, research and practice in disaster early warning and early action. Design/methodology/approach: This qualitative study explored the institutionalisation of AA in Zimbabwe through a literature review, content analysis of national policy and legislative documents, and the authors’ experiences in AA. The literature review identified key themes and gaps in disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA), shaping the analytical framework. Using Atlas.ti, conventional content analysis was applied to examine institutionalisation of anticipatory action themes across selected documents. Findings: The analysis emphasises the role of the AA approach within Zimbabwe’s disaster risk management framework. Initially led by humanitarian actors, these initiatives were seen as parallel to government structures, hindering their acceptance. Continuous engagement with the government and stakeholders, along with demonstrating the efficacy of anticipatory action, facilitated common ground. Establishing sub-committees within existing disaster management structures promoted institutionalisation and required capacity building for government ownership and sustainability. Despite initial challenges, anticipatory action is now a crucial method for enhancing governance in the face of climate change-related risks. Originality/value: As climate change amplifies the frequency and severity of extreme events, anticipatory action is becoming essential for effective disaster risk management. Advances in technology have improved the accuracy and accessibility of early warning information. By investing in AA, communities can save lives, protect livelihoods and enhance resilience to future hazards. Governments are increasingly integrating AA into existing disaster risk management structures to ensure sustainability and continuity at all levels.

Purpose: This paper investigates the role of traditional authority in shaping community responses to cyclone early warnings in rural Madagascar. It examines how messenger legitimacy and cultural trust influence preparedness behaviours, arguing that disaster governance must engage formal and informal institutions to improve early warning uptake. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative case study was conducted in two cyclone-prone districts, Marovoay and Manakara, using 24 key informant interviews and four focus group discussions with traditional leaders, residents, disaster officers and relevant departments. The study applied thematic analysis to explore perceptions of trust, messenger authority and community behaviour in response to cyclone warnings. Findings: Results indicate that official early warning systems, typically disseminated via SMS or radio, are often treated with scepticism. In contrast, warnings endorsed by local kings (mpanjaka) and fokontany chiefs elicit quicker and more consistent responses. The findings demonstrate that messenger legitimacy, rooted in cultural authority and everyday trust, is decisive in community disaster preparedness. Hybrid governance arrangements, where traditional leaders and formal institutions collaborate, enhance warning effectiveness but also reveal tensions in authority and communication practices. Research limitations/implications: This study is limited by its qualitative design, reliance on retrospective accounts outside the cyclone season and potential translation loss during interviews. The findings are context-specific to rural Madagascar and cannot be generalised to all settings. Nevertheless, triangulation across interviews, focus groups and observations enhances validity. The research highlights the importance of messenger legitimacy and hybrid governance in disaster preparedness, with implications for policymakers seeking to strengthen last-mile early warning. Future studies could adopt longitudinal and comparative approaches to explore how trust and traditional authority shape resilience across diverse governance contexts. Practical implications: The study underscores the need to integrate traditional leaders into disaster risk governance as credible messengers in last-mile communication. Formal agencies should recognise customary authority structures not as competitors but as partners in strengthening preparedness. Co-producing warning strategies with community leaders can enhance trust, increase compliance and reduce loss of life during cyclones. Training, resources and partnerships that link technical accuracy with cultural legitimacy are essential. Policymakers and practitioners should embed these practices in early warning frameworks, aligning with global initiatives such as the Sendai Framework and Early Warnings for All. Social implications: The findings highlight the social significance of trust, legitimacy, and cultural authority in disaster preparedness. By recognising the role of traditional leaders, early warning systems can become more inclusive and equitable, ensuring that marginalised rural communities are not excluded from life-saving information. Strengthening community-state collaboration fosters social cohesion and enhances resilience, while reducing perceptions of neglect and mistrust towards government institutions. Embedding culturally legitimate messengers in risk communication not only improves immediate disaster response but also supports longer-term social transformation by bridging divides between formal governance and customary authority. Originality/value: This study contributes to disaster risk reduction debates by foregrounding messenger legitimacy and hybrid governance in fragile contexts. It highlights that the “last mile” challenge in early warning is not only technological or logistical but also deeply social and political. The paper calls for the formal recognition of traditional leaders within disaster governance frameworks to strengthen anticipatory action and resilience in vulnerable communities.

As disasters and climate change risks, particularly droughts and floods, continue to affect food security globally, most governments, including South Africa, have resorted to the use of technology to incorporate climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction to address FS issues. This is because most institutions and policies that address climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and food security operate in parallel, which usually leads to the polarisation of interventions and conflicting objectives, thus leaving the issue of FS unresolved. The study aimed to investigate how food security projects are incorporating climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction using technology. A qualitative research design was applied, whereby in-depth interviews were conducted with ten project participants from two projects, while 24 key informants were purposively selected from government and research institutions. The study’s main findings revealed that both projects incorporate climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction measures in most of their food value chains. Although the projects are different, they still face similar challenges, such as a lack of expertise, resources, and funding, and an inadequate regulatory environment to improve their farming practices. The study brings in the practical side of addressing the coherence between food security, climate change adaptation, and disaster risk reduction through technology.

Purpose: This study aimed to address the underexplored domain of organisational vulnerability, with a specific focus on understanding how vulnerability is understood in organisations and the underlying pathways leading to vulnerability.Design/methodology/approach: This study utilised a narrative literature review methodology, using Google Scholar as the primary source, to analyse the concepts of organisational vulnerability in the context of disaster risk studies. The review focused on relevant documents published between the years 2000 and 2022.Findings: The analysis highlights the multifaceted nature of organisational vulnerability, which arises from both inherent weaknesses within the organisation and external risks that expose it to potential hazards. The inherent weaknesses are rooted in internal vulnerability pathways such as organisational culture, managerial ignorance, human resources, and communication weaknesses that compromise the organisation’s resilience. The external dimension of vulnerability is found in cascading vulnerability pathways, e.g. critical infrastructure, supply chains, and customer relationships.Originality/value: As the frequency and severity of disasters continue to increase, organisations of all sizes face heightened vulnerability to unforeseen disruptions and potential destruction. Acknowledging and comprehending organisational vulnerability is a crucial initial step towards enhancing risk management effectiveness, fostering resilience, and promoting sustainable success in an interconnected global environment and an evolving disaster landscape.

Disasters and disaster risks are social phenomena that take place in a political space shaped by different political ideologies. Despite this connection, the field of disaster risk management has been developed without a deliberate incorporation of political theories. Using a narrative literature review methodology, this paper sought to elucidate the significance of political theory in shaping both the policy and practice of disaster risk management. The review reveals notable intersections between political theories, such as elitism and pluralism, and established disaster risk management paradigms, specifically objectivism and constructivism. Notably, elitism and objectivism tend to promote expertise, marginalize citizen participation, and emphasize centralized disaster management, whereas pluralism and constructivism advocate for diversity, tolerance, and competition, aligning with the concept of disaster risk management. The paper argues that ignoring political theories in disaster risk management can conceal a deeper understanding of the power relations between different stakeholders, as well as the historical, economic, social, and political characteristics of a society. It advocates for future studies to examine the contributions of political theories explicitly and critically to disaster risk policies and practices. This call highlights the need for a deeper understanding of how political theories impact the effectiveness and equity of disaster risk management.

Climate change through extreme weather events threatens food security (FS) and the eradication of poverty. Thus, improving FS will require adapting to the impacts of climate change as well as reducing the risks of disasters. However, the nexus between FS, disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA) is not always reflected in policies, resulting in fragmented implementation. The purpose of this article is to evaluate if there is coherence in the policies for FS, DRR and CCA in South Africa. A qualitative research design was applied, and data were collected through a summative content analysis on 34 policy and legislative documents and 24 key informant interviews (KII). The study found that there are still incoherencies between the current main policy and legislative documents that address CCA, DRR and FS. This study recommends a review of old policy and legislative frameworks promulgated in the 1990s to incorporate cross-cutting issues such as DRR, CCA and FS. This will enhance and strengthen synergies and interconnections between the three policy areas.

Despite the growing evidence pointing towards disaster risk as a social construction, the objectivist frame still dominates the conceptual frameworks constructed around disaster risk in Zimbabwe. As disasters continue to occur with increasing regularity and ferocity, the usefulness of the objectivist frame of disaster risk in minimising the devastating effects of disasters is questionable. This article investigates how framing affects the tractability of the objectivist frame of disaster risk in Zimbabwe by using the Tokwe-Mukosi flood disaster of 2014 as a case study. The research utilised secondary data and semi-structured interviews with senior managers and specialists in disaster risk management in Zimbabwe to explore factors affecting the tractability of the objectivist frame in implementation. The results of the study suggest that tractability of the objectivist frame is mainly affected by its limited understanding of the causes of, and solutions to, disasters. The frame ignores rival frames crucial in disaster causality, such as the constructivist frame, and in ‘ignorance’ it harbours ‘latent’ failures which only become apparent on the occurrence of a particular major disaster. Moreover, the objectivist frame of disaster risk requires significant administrative and technical expertise and funding to be tackled effectively, which are not readily available especially in developing countries. The frame is also reactive in dealing with disasters, which makes it prone to ‘policy surprises’, leading to ‘policy disasters’ where disasters are viewed as direct consequences of policy choices. The article concludes that for Zimbabwe to achieve its goal of minimising the impacts of disasters, greater efforts must be made in reframing disaster risk by integrating the objectivist frame with the social constructivist frame.

Purpose: – The purpose of this paper is to understand the meaning of social constructivism and objectivism within the context of disaster risk from which disaster risk policy can be analysed. In particular, the paper attempts to explore the implications of social constructivism and objectivism in disaster risk which is essential in explaining why disaster risk has different nuances and consequently policy responses.Design/methodology/approach: – A literature survey was used to explore social constructivism and objectivism within the context of disaster risk. The survey involved documentary searches from academic books, journal articles and disaster risk reports to serve as primary research data.Findings: – The analysis revealed that viewing and managing disasters through the lens of objectivism might not yield the desired results of minimising risk as it conceals the vulnerabilities to disaster risk. The objectivist perspective is therefore in itself considered inadequate for the study of disaster risk and that social constructivist assumptions are required in order to analyse disaster risk. Towards this end, social constructivism offers a discursive approach to disaster risk policy science; one that more optimally illuminates competing local perspectives.Originality/value: – An epistemological and ontological assessment of social constructivism and objectivism in disaster risk can assist greatly in understanding the discursive dimension of disaster risk through explanations of how and why disasters are framed the way they are framed and the implications of this on policy formulation and implementation.