The UCT Disaster Management plan has been developed to comply with the legislative requirements as contemplated in the Disaster Management Act No 57 of 2002, Disaster Management Amendment Act No 16 of 2015 and The Policy Framework for Disaster Risk Management 2005.  

The plan gives effect to the fundamental requirements of the Disaster Management Act. It focuses on providing a coordinated and integrated approach to Disaster Management that focuses on preventing or reducing disaster risk and facilitating emergency preparedness to respond to disasters rapidly and effectively.

The focus of Disaster Management is to create a safe and secure environment where lives, and all property are the central priority.

While all scenarios were considered during a vulnerability assessment of UCT, a full list of hazards from the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) was used to ensure that any potential disaster will be identified. The typical scenarios identified by UCT all fall within various categories of the UNDRR list of hazards. The full list was then workshopped with stakeholders to identify relevant hazards, gather more data and statistics and evaluate the relative risk posed by each of the identified hazards. 

In preparedness for disasters, drills are planned to allow for the evacuation procedures, tools, skills, and individual and institutional capacity in relation to disaster preparedness and response to be tested and assessed.  Drills are carried out in “real” time and each of the participants assumes the role that they customarily perform in such a situation.