Climate Change and Human Security in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: An Assessment of the 2022 Provincial Floods

The South African province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) is reeling from the impacts of the 2022 floods that swept off communities in not fewer than six districts in the province, leaving death and massive loss and damage in their trail. Based on the qualitative method, dwelling largely on secondary data analysis, and supported by five interviews and the conceptual framework that holds that resilience is security. The paper finds that the people of KwaZulu-Natal suffered multidimensional security threats during the floods. The paper notes further that this is a product of weak climate resilience building, despite the existence of climate change response and disaster management policies and strategies in the province and South Africa. The paper concludes that the province has a weak resilience against sudden-onset climate events that are predicted to be more regular in the future. This shows that it’s the climate change response in the province and the country has a critical blindside and this showed during the 2022 floods as the sudden-onset event rattled the KZN for a month. It recommends that the province rethink its climate change and disaster management policies and strategies, such that they can have human security as a founding philosophy to build popular resilience in the province.