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This monograph examines the use and misuse of less-lethal weapons (LLWs) within South African prisons and by the South African Police Service (SAPS) Public Order Police (POP) units during crowd management from 2013 to 2018. It analyzes the legal and regulatory frameworks of the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) and SAPS, highlighting systemic failures in accountability, the use of equipment as instruments of torture, and the lethal consequences of weapons marketed as 'less-lethal'.

The South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) issued a statement condemning recent xenophobic violence in South Africa, calling for political leadership to stop scapegoating migrants and for the state to prosecute criminals and implement civic education based on common humanity.

This report by the Greenpeace Global Air Pollution Unit assesses the public health and environmental consequences of a proposal by South Africa’s Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries to double the Minimum Emissions Standards (MES) for SO2 from 500mg/Nm3 to 1000mg/Nm3 for power plants and industrial sources.

This policy brief examines the Tanzania Urban Resilience Programme (TURP) and its efforts to build climate resilience in the Msimbazi Basin of Dar es Salaam. It highlights the shift from hard-engineering to nature-based solutions, the importance of stakeholder engagement, and strategic project framing to secure diverse funding sources.

This report provides an air-pollution dispersion model and health risk assessment for 14 industrial facilities in and around South Africa's Mpumalanga Highveld Priority Area (HPA). The analysis compares actual 2016 emissions against a scenario where facilities comply with the 2020 Minimum Emissions Standards (MES), finding that current emissions cause significant early deaths and exceed multiple international air quality guidelines.

This research paper compares the migration regimes of South Africa and Germany, analyzing how each country manages the influx of refugees and economic migrants. It argues that while Germany has developed a sophisticated, integration-focused infrastructure to offset an ageing population, South Africa struggles with a securitized approach and socio-economic pressures that fuel xenophobia. The author suggests that South Africa can learn from Germany's inter-departmental coordination, private sector involvement, and proactive integration strategies to avoid the creation of 'parallel societies'.

This report projects that Eskom's planned non-compliance with South Africa's Minimum Emission Standards (MES) would lead to an estimated 16,000 avoidable premature deaths and significant excess emissions of SO2, NOx, particulate matter, and mercury. The health impacts are particularly acute in the Gauteng region, where 3,100 premature deaths could be avoided through full compliance. The analysis also highlights that mercury deposition would exceed health risk thresholds over 89,000km², affecting 3.4 million people.

The South Africa’s Low-Emission Development Strategy (SA LEDS) 2050 is a strategic framework designed to transition South Africa to a low-carbon growth path by 2050. It aligns national policies with the Paris Agreement and the country's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), focusing on a 'peak, plateau and decline' emissions trajectory. The strategy outlines sectoral measures for energy, industry, agriculture, forestry, and waste, while emphasizing a 'Just Transition' to ensure socio-economic upliftment and job security during the shift away from fossil fuels.

Concor Infrastructure recycled 77,000 m3 of concrete waste during the expansion of the City Deep container terminal in Johannesburg, exceeding a 24% landfill diversion target. By using High volume pulverized flue ash concrete (HVPFAC) and Geopolymer concrete—the latter reducing greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90%—the project saved R10.8 million in virgin material costs and avoided R23 million in landfill gate fees.

This briefing by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the cooperation between BRICS nations and Africa, focusing on industrialisation and infrastructure financing. It evaluates the role of South Africa in promoting African interests within the BRICS framework, the potential of the New Development Bank (NDB), and the challenges of debt, transparency, and unequal trade.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), representing various non-governmental and community-based organisations, submitted comments to the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) regarding the 2018 Draft Amendments to the National Dust Control Regulations 2013. The CER argues that the draft regulations remain inadequate for protecting human health and the environment, particularly for mining-affected communities, and calls for more rigorous enforcement, better monitoring methods, and the inclusion of specific health-related analyses for toxic dust.

This report details a trade mission from the Netherlands to Cape Town, South Africa, held from May 22-25, 2018. Organized by GreenCape in cooperation with the Netherlands Government, the mission focused on the circular economy and biomass valorisation, specifically targeting organic wet streams, invasive species, construction and demolition waste, plastics, and waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE).

This fact sheet by the Climate Bonds Initiative outlines key public sector green bond policy developments in 2017 and projections for 2018. It highlights the rise of sovereign green bonds, the establishment of regional and national guidelines in Asia and Africa, the growth of the green sukuk market in Malaysia, and various financial incentives provided by governments to lower issuance costs and accelerate the transition to low-carbon infrastructure.

The South Africa Green Economy Barometer 2018 evaluates the country's transition toward a fair, green economy, awarding it a score of 5 out of 10. While South Africa possesses strong policy foundations, such as the National Development Plan and the 2011 Green Economy Accord, the report finds that the economy remains locked into carbon-intensive 'brown' systems, particularly in energy and mining, and fails to adequately include marginalized populations and the informal sector in its transition.

This case study examines the development of horizontal linkages in South Africa's mining sector, highlighting how specialized expertise gained from overcoming unique geological and technical constraints allowed local suppliers to diversify into other industries and international markets. It notes that these linkages were primarily driven by market forces and private sector innovation rather than government policy, though recent policy uncertainty and skills shortages have challenged the sector's competitiveness.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), representing various non-governmental and community organisations, submitted recommendations to the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) on November 30, 2017, to strengthen the proposed amendments to the National Dust Control Regulations 2013 under the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act, 2004 (AQA).

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), representing the Life After Coal/Impilo Ngaphandle Kwamalahle Campaign, submitted a formal statement to the Portfolio Committee on Energy on 29 November 2017. The document outlines critical concerns regarding the lack of transparency, inadequate public consultation, and the omission of key economic and environmental data in the development of South Africa's draft Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) for Electricity Update and the draft Integrated Energy Plan (IEP).

This research paper examines how voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) act as both barriers and enablers for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) attempting to enter global value chains (GVCs) coordinated by multinational corporations (MNCs), with a specific focus on South Africa and Kenya as regional economic gateways.

This report summarizes the Sixth Annual Meeting of the San Giorgio Group, held on 8-9 May 2017 in Venice. The discussions focused on scaling up green, low-emissions finance by improving climate finance tracking, evolving financial architecture in emerging markets, overcoming funding constraints for cities, utilizing innovative financial instruments, and enhancing climate risk disclosure to accelerate the implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the role of civic technology and open data in driving accountability in South Africa. It argues that technology alone is not a solution for social change and proposes the 'accountability stack' framework, which prioritizes human-centric problem solving over the mere delivery of digital tools.