Disaster Awareness Campaign: Gerry the Giraffe takes the stage

Each year, the Western Cape Disaster Management Centre embarks on its Disaster Awareness Campaign in primary schools across the province.

This campaign takes the form of an interactive play featuring the much-loved Disaster Management mascot, Gerry the Giraffe. The play highlights common hazards faced by communities throughout the Western Cape and aims to instil a culture of risk avoidance among young learners.

Through humour, song, and engaging performances, safety and prevention messages are shared with learners, teaching them the do’s and don’ts around floods, fires, and other household hazards. Learners are also taught important emergency contact numbers so that they know exactly who to call in an emergency.

Since its inception in 2010, the play has reached over 450 000 primary school learners. The script is reviewed regularly to ensure that it addresses prevailing risks and remains relevant to the communities it serves.

Focus on high-risk areas

The Sub-Directorate: Mitigation aims to reach 20 schools annually, targeting districts on a rotational basis. Schools are strategically selected based on their vulnerability to recurring hazards such as flooding, veldfires, and informal settlement fires.

In October and November 2025, Gerry the Giraffe will be visiting 20 schools across the Overberg District Municipality as part of this year’s campaign.

Partnership for greater reach

For the past two years, the Department of Local Government has partnered with Santam through the Partnership for Risk and Resilience, allowing the campaign to double its reach. In 2024/2025 and 2025/2026, an additional 20 schools were funded, enabling 37 387 learners to benefit from Gerry’s prevention and preparedness messages.

This partnership also made it possible to roll out the campaign to 19 isiXhosa-medium schools across four districts — the first time the play was presented in isiXhosa, with a fully translated script and local actors. The initiative was warmly received by both learners and teachers, marking an important milestone in making disaster awareness accessible to all communities.

Enquiries:
Ms. Janine Winder 
Tel: 021 973 6346
Cell: 072 440 1996
Email: janine.winder@westerncape.gov.za