In an age of instant communication, it is easy to assume that everyone receives disaster warnings. Smartphones buzz, sirens sound, alerts flash across screens. But for millions of people who speak minority or Indigenous languages, the message often stops short.
South Africa has 12 official languages, but disaster warnings are still sent out almost entirely in English and Afrikaans. Emergency SMS alerts, radio broadcasts, and social media posts are issued regularly, but these are one way communications – the municipal (local government) disaster management centres sending the messages don’t check whether the people receiving them understand what they say. A warning that is sent is not necessarily a warning that is understood.
