Cape Town: The Disaster Risk Management Centre (DRMC) has concluded the third emergency planning workshop for places of worship since August that highlights one of the many disasters’ prevention and mitigation programmes that the centre facilitates each year.
DRMC acknowledged the efforts of the latest group of participants on Saturday, April 12, 2025 by handing over 17 certificates at a graduation event. The training took place for three consecutive Saturdays and concluded with an emergency exercise at the Hindu Temple in Cravenby, where the drill scenario were equipped with armed robbery.
Moreover, the participants engaged in interactive sessions and practical exercises to gain valuable insights into emergency response protocols, evacuation procedures and risk mitigation strategies. The programme culminates with an emergency exercise that allows participants to apply their newly acquired knowledge and skills.
The programme was developed in response to a number of incidents targeting places of worship in the country, as the DRMC collaborated with various religious organisations, the Fire and Rescue Service, South African Police Service (SAPS) and Emergency Medical Services.
Considering this, City of Cape Town’s Member of the Mayoral Committee for Safety and Security – Alderman JP Smith said that it is daunting for participants to work through scenarios around potential violent crime incidents as the places of worship have done. They have thanked them for leading them from the front.
However, the work will continue to expand the list of participants, so that they can keep these sacred spaces safe for people to freely practice their beliefs. The work around disaster prevention and mitigation does not attract the same attention as disaster response, but in many ways it is even more critical.
Notably, every year, the Disaster Risk Management Training Centre takes hundreds of organisations and facilities through their paces, whether in basic first aid, drafting emergency plans or how to manage evacuations safely.
And while we hope that the participants never have to use any of that knowledge, it is better to be prepared and know what to do in the face of a crisis, than not, added Smith. The DRMC Training Centre has facilitated different types of training for at least 200 participants for the financial year to date, and 43 of them have represented places of worship. The participants have also included other City Departments and facilities, schools, old-age and hospice facilities and the corporate sector.