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The 2024 Governance Performance Index (GPI) by Good Governance Africa evaluates 257 South African municipalities across categories including service delivery, administration, leadership, and planning. The report highlights a strong performance dominance by the Western Cape, significant disparities in service access between areas with and without a history of homeland or traditional authority governance, and the varying impact of hung councils on municipal effectiveness.

The report identifies four primary investment opportunities for electric vehicles (EVs) in South Africa: electric micro-mobility for last-mile delivery, electrification of public transportation, electrification of freight and logistics, and local manufacturing of private passenger vehicles. While high capital expenditure (CAPEX) and energy security concerns related to loadshedding remain significant barriers, rising fuel prices are improving the operational business case for fleet electrification. The South African government is supporting the transition through the December 2023 Electric Vehicle White Paper and a planned investment allowance starting March 1, 2026, to encourage local production, with the first battery EVs expected by 2026.

The report outlines a total potential market size of R468 billion by 2030 for large-scale renewable energy in South Africa, split between private procurement (R214 billion), public procurement (R212 billion), and local component manufacturing (R42 billion). Private procurement is growing rapidly due to the removal of generation licensing requirements and the demand for energy security amidst loadshedding. Public procurement is driven by the REIPPPP and municipal tenders, though it faces policy uncertainty and municipal financial strain. Local manufacturing is supported by the South African Renewable Energy Masterplan (SAREM) and trade agreements, but is hindered by low cost imports and grid constraints. Key systemic barriers include severe grid capacity constraints in high-yield areas and a critical shortage of technical skills for installation and commissioning.

The workshop report details discussions on the progress of South Africa's recovery from state capture, highlighting systemic obstructions in law enforcement, the need for institutional independence, and proposals for a new Office of Public Integrity. It emphasizes the role of grassroots activism and the necessity of reforming public procurement and local government governance to prevent 'state capture 2.0'.

The WWF-Nedbank partnership Phase 3 (2019–2024), supported by a R25 million investment from Nedbank, implemented landscape-level conservation and sustainable agriculture projects across South Africa, with a primary focus on the Eastern Cape. Key achievements include the protection of 44 natural springs in the uMzimvubu Catchment, the securing of 15,850 hectares under Conservation Agreements for rangeland management, and the promotion of water-efficient irrigation in the dairy sector. The partnership also advanced agroecology to improve food security for smallholders and collaborated on sustainable finance frameworks, including the launch of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) in South Africa.

The author contends that South Africa is failing to realize its economic potential due to policies that promote financialization and austerity over productive growth and social support. The text highlights the extreme wealth inequality in the country and criticizes the National Treasury's opposition to extending the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant. It argues that the current fiscal challenges are manageable and that austerity is counterproductive to growth, suggesting instead a model of decisive political leadership and state-led development to avoid a 'social cliff'.

The research identifies a fragmented system of unstable governance in South African school education, where local unionists, district officials, and community members collude to secure preferential access to 'promotional' posts and school budgets, reflecting broader state-society relations in the country.

The Institute for Economic Justice criticizes the South African National Treasury for presenting expenditure cuts as the only solution to a 'fiscal cliff'. The author argues that austerity leads to the collapse of critical services, increased poverty, and long-term GDP decline. Proposed alternatives include removing tax breaks for high earners, returning the corporate income tax rate to 28%, and lowering borrowing costs through state-mandated lending and capital controls.

The document argues that M&E is inherently connected to power and can either promote equity and resilience or reinforce dominance and exclusion. Through the analysis of six South African case studies, it identifies four 'enablers' for transformative M&E: contextualized learning, inclusive processes, increased agency for Global South actors in design, and institutional arrangements that ensure long-term continuity. It emphasizes that achieving equitable resilience requires shifting power dynamics and moving beyond funder-driven compliance toward locally-led development.

The document argues that while consumer-led battery deployment is rapid, grid-scale energy storage—particularly batteries—is a strategic priority that remains under-developed in South Africa. It details how storage can reduce load shedding, optimize existing grid infrastructure, and support a just energy transition by providing public benefits. The authors recommend the development of national and municipal strategies to create an enabling environment for grid battery deployment.

The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) is seeking funding from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to prepare a detailed project proposal titled "Ecosystem-based Approaches for transforming smallholder farming systems that are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change in South Africa". The preparatory phase, estimated to take 9 months, involves hiring a consultancy firm to conduct a series of ten technical studies and consultations. These activities include climate risk and vulnerability assessments, pre-feasibility studies, and gender analyses across four priority provinces: KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, and Limpopo. The ultimate goal is to design a project that provides tailored climate information via a Multi-Hazard Early Warning System and transforms farming systems using nature-based solutions to mitigate risks from floods, droughts, and veld fires.

The report examines the South African cannabis industry, arguing that current legal and regulatory frameworks create high barriers to entry that exclude traditional growers and small enterprises. It identifies critical bottlenecks in medical cannabis exports, such as the lack of mutual recognition for SAHPRA licenses in European markets, and a lack of processing capacity for industrial hemp. The authors advocate for a tiered licensing system, the legalisation of a regulated adult-use market to support inclusive growth, and the establishment of a specialised state agency to coordinate the sector's development and ensure decent work and environmental sustainability.

The 2023 Water Market Intelligence Report highlights a critical state of wastewater treatment works (WWTWs) in South Africa, with 39% requiring urgent intervention. It identifies three primary investment areas: the restoration of municipal infrastructure (estimated at R8.14 billion), the circular economy potential of sludge beneficiation, and the deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency (EE) technologies to reduce high operational costs. The report notes significant funding gaps and municipal capacity constraints but points to regulatory drivers, such as the 2019 liquid waste landfill ban, as catalysts for private sector involvement.

The report outlines the transition of South Africa's automotive industry toward electric vehicles, highlighting key opportunities in public transport, micro-mobility, private passenger vehicles, and lithium-ion cell manufacturing. It emphasizes the pressure from the European Union's 2035 ban on internal combustion engine vehicles to drive local production and the role of South Africa's mineral reserves in the battery value chain.

The document defines a just energy transition as a shift toward sustainable energy that incorporates environmental justice, ensuring marginalized groups are central to decision-making. It analyzes South Africa's current energy system, which is dominated by coal (approximately 80%), and outlines the legal frameworks, such as the Constitution and NEMA, that support community rights. The guide provides practical steps for accessing information via PAIA, securing free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC), and participating in Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs). It also highlights the potential for community-based renewable energy initiatives, using a case study from Kenya to illustrate successful local ownership.

The document serves as a community guide to South Africa's energy transition, explaining the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy through the lens of environmental justice. It details the current energy mix—dominated by coal—and the legal frameworks, such as the Constitution and NEMA, that protect community rights to information and a healthy environment. The guide provides practical steps for accessing government information via PAIA, ensuring Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), and participating in Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs). It also highlights the potential for community-led renewable energy projects, using a case study from Kenya to illustrate successful local energy ownership.

The document serves as a legal resource for South African communities to navigate the transition from fossil-fuel-based energy to renewable sources. It defines the Just Energy Transition (JET) and environmental justice, analyzes South Africa's current energy mix—which is 80% coal-dependent—and outlines the legal frameworks, such as the Constitution and the National Environmental Management Act, that support community participation. The guide provides practical steps for accessing information via PAIA requests, securing Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), and engaging in Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs). It also highlights the potential for community-based renewable energy initiatives and the importance of Community Development Agreements to ensure local benefits.

The report examines food wastage at the primary production level in South Africa, identifying environmental factors as the primary cause of food loss and behavioural issues as a key driver of food waste. It highlights a critical lack of baseline data, with fewer than 40% of surveyed farmers measuring their waste. While farmers are motivated by financial viability and moral responsibility to reduce waste, they face significant logistical, financial, and regulatory barriers, including high transport costs and strict export standards. The document recommends the development of centralised redistribution contacts and validated waste-tracking tools to help South Africa meet SDG 12.3.

World Weather Attribution (WWA) reports on its activities from October 2021 to October 2022, during which it published eight rapid analyses and several peer-reviewed papers. These studies examined the role of human-induced climate change in events such as heatwaves in India, Pakistan, and the UK, as well as flooding and droughts in various regions. The organization emphasizes that while climate change is a major driver for heatwaves, its role in other events like tropical cyclones can be less clear, often compounding with high levels of vulnerability to increase human impacts.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) issued a statement to the Petroleum Agency of South Africa (PASA) raising concerns regarding transparency, environmental compliance, and climate impact assessments for onshore gas and petroleum activities. The CER highlights a lack of public information on rights holders and questions the legality of specific projects and the use of hydraulic fracturing.