Santham Ajodhia

Climate-induced disasters are escalating globally, with profound impacts in South Africa, mostly affecting marginalised individuals and communities. The recurring floods between 2022, 2023, and 2024 in the South African provinces of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and the Eastern Cape (EC) have exposed the exceptional vulnerability of woman-headed households living in rural communities and in informal settlements. This study explores the lived experiences of woman-headed households who survived flood events and analyse how gender, class, and environmental injustice intersect to shape their vulnerability and resilience. Utilising a qualitative descriptive design, this article is guided by the Social Justice theory and Eco-social feminist perspective. It interrogates the intersections of climate change, gender inequality, and socio-economic precarity, using empirical data from eighteen (18) women flood survivors to foreground the vulnerabilities and resilience strategies of woman-headed households. The findings of the in-depth individual interviews and thematic analysis illustrate the compounding effects of structural violence, economic precarity, intensified caregiving burdens, and housing insecurity. It became clear that participants were not only profoundly affected but were also first responders, organisers, and caregivers in the absence of immediate state support. The study advocates for a feminist-informed, eco-justice-aligned social work praxis that centres lived experiences and community resilience in disaster preparedness, mitigation, and recovery. Ultimately, the article reveals the urgent need for gender-sensitive disaster risk reduction strategies and the enhanced integration of social work in climate adaptation interventions. A justice-oriented approach is urgently needed to address the systemic failures that render woman-headed households vulnerable to recurring climate disasters.

Flood disasters pose severe threats to vulnerable populations, demanding urgent and contextually grounded responses from the social work profession. This qualitative study, guided by green social work principles, explores the lived experiences of 23 survivors of major flooding events in the KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa in 2022, 2023, and 2024. It explores the psychosocial and material impact of floods as a climate-induced disaster, survivors’ coping strategies, and implications for social work practice and education. Using purposive sampling, semi-structured interviews were conducted with individuals directly affected by flooding. Thematic analysis revealed profound effects on emotional well-being, housing, livelihoods, and community cohesion. Participants recounted trauma, displacement, and economic hardship but also demonstrated resilience through social networks and cultural knowledge. The findings expose a significant gap in social work’s current response to climate-related crises. The study calls for a realignment of social work education and practice to incorporate ecological justice, trauma-informed care, disaster preparedness, and culturally sensitive interventions. Centering African experiences, the study advocates for a paradigm shift toward sustainable and inclusive approaches, contributing to the growing relevance of green social work in addressing environmental challenges.

The province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa, is no stranger to adversities. Between 2020 and 2022, KZN faced overlapping disasters, including the COVID-19 pandemic, episodes of looting and catastrophic floods. These disasters had multifaceted consequences for low-income communities. During the disasters, social work academics/practitioners provided psycho-social support to communities while working with a community engagement research centre, the MA’AT Institute, located at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). Adopting an autoethnographic methodology, we provide insights into the experiences of working in low-income communities during disasters. Based on these reflections, we suggest that social workers should often adopt a culturally sensitive approach to disaster response, poverty alleviation and the protection of human rights. We further highlight the complexities of community engagement in disaster-stricken areas when attempting to meet specific goals of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as no poverty, zero hunger and climate action. We call for adopting an Afrocentric and culturally responsive approach to strengthen the resilience of low-income communities in the face of disaster-related adversity.