Search Climate Insights Directory

This report by the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) analyzes the implementation of the Promotion of Access to Information Act, 2000 (PAIA) in South Africa between January 2010 and August 2014. It details the challenges in accessing environmental governance and management records from government departments, parastatals, and private bodies, highlighting a trend of using the protection of third-party commercial information to refuse requests.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) submitted a statement to the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) opposing Eskom's applications to postpone compliance with Minimum Emission Standards (MES). The CER argues that Eskom failed to provide required health impact assessments and future compliance plans, while monitoring data indicates that Eskom's emissions cause frequent, year-round exceedances of air quality guidelines, contributing to significant regional health risks.

This policy brief by the Institute for Security Studies evaluates the integrity of South Africa's 2014 national and provincial elections. It examines the performance of the Electoral Commission (IEC), instances of political violence and intimidation, the use of state resources for campaigning, and the role of media coverage in informing voters.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), representing several community and environmental groups, submitted a formal reply on 24 March 2014 challenging Eskom's applications for postponement from the Minimum Emission Standards (MES). The CER disputes Eskom's claims that its power stations have a marginal impact on air quality and health, arguing that Eskom's Atmospheric Impact Reports (AIRs) are anecdotal, use insufficient modeling domains, and fail to quantify the health risks associated with secondary PM2.5 formation and mercury emissions.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), representing several environmental justice organisations, submitted comments on 21 February 2014 regarding the Draft National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory System (NAEIS) Reporting Regulations. The submission primarily argues that the draft regulations fail to ensure adequate public access to atmospheric emission data and provides recommendations to align the regulations with constitutional rights to information and a healthy environment.

This research paper identifies three primary pressure points affecting the South African mining sector: a challenging macro-economic and global environment, structural and political risks including infrastructure gaps and labor unrest, and the need to better leverage existing competitive advantages such as reserve size and financial services.

The South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) is seeking funding through its 80th anniversary 'Sponsor a Delegate' campaign to support YOUTH@SAIIA. This initiative provides youth development through Model UN, inter-school quizzes, and an Environmental Sustainability Project, reaching over 5,000 participants in 2013. The campaign offers tiered sponsorship options ranging from R 200 to R 10,000 to cover costs such as transport, materials, and equipment.

A personal reflection by Elizabeth Sidiropoulos, Chief Executive of the South African Institute of International Affairs, on the death of Nelson Mandela on 5 December 2013 and the subsequent remembrance of South Africa's transition to democracy.

This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs analyses the state of Russia–South Africa relations as of October 2013. It examines the historical development of bilateral ties, the mechanisms of political and economic cooperation, and the challenges hindering deeper engagement, such as weak civil society links and a lack of mutual knowledge.

This case study examines the Non-Tariff Barrier (NTB) Monitoring Mechanism, a regional instrument designed for the monitoring, reporting, and elimination of non-tariff barriers across the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the East African Community (EAC), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Launched in 2009 and administered primarily by Trade Mark Southern Africa (TMSA), the mechanism serves as a supplementary, facilitative tool to support the rules-based trade frameworks of these regional economic communities (RECs). It emphasizes the participation of the private sector through focal points and National Monitoring Committees (NMCs) to address trade-inhibiting barriers that disproportionately affect small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

This report analyzes the multifaceted relationship between the United States and South Africa, highlighting economic cooperation through the US-South Africa Strategic Dialogue and the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), as well as defense and nuclear collaboration. It also examines points of tension, specifically regarding sanctions on Iran and South Africa's role in the BRICS bloc.

This case study examines the operational challenges faced by ALASKA, a company based in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which specializes in importing goods from South Africa and Mauritius. The document details systemic barriers to business growth, including a dysfunctional banking sector, an opaque and burdensome tax system, severe infrastructure deficits, and pervasive corruption within government agencies.

This policy brief by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) examines the failures of financial disclosure monitoring and oversight in South African local government. It argues that current systems focus on administrative compliance rather than the active detection of irregularities, leaving municipalities vulnerable to corruption and conflicts of interest, particularly in public procurement.

This report reviews the second phase (2012-2014) of the WWF Sanlam Partnership, focusing on securing South Africa's freshwater ecosystems. The partnership integrates conservation efforts with corporate sustainability, targeting the protection of strategic water source areas, the implementation of water stewardship in business, and the integration of water risk into financial investment and insurance practices.

This research paper by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) maps the investment landscape of South Africa as of January 2012. It examines the impact of the global economic crisis on foreign direct investment (FDI), analyzes the government's industrial policies such as the New Growth Path (NGP), and provides a detailed catalogue of financial and fiscal incentives designed to attract investment and create jobs. The document also includes survey results from provincial investment promotion agencies (IPAs) regarding the effectiveness and awareness of these incentive schemes.

This research paper analyzes the Companies and Intellectual Property Registration Office (CIPRO) in South Africa as a case study of the failures associated with the adoption of New Public Management (NPM) principles. The author argues that CIPRO's vulnerability to corruption and mismanagement was not merely a result of poor leadership, but stemmed from fundamental design flaws caused by the South African government's ambivalence toward NPM—attempting to use its business-like tools while refusing to relinquish central political control.

A submission by 13 non-governmental organisations, coordinated by the Centre for Environmental Rights, addressed to the Minister of Mineral Resources regarding proposed amendments to the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act, 2002 (MPRDA). The document argues that the current environmental regulatory regime for mining is inferior to that of other industrial sectors and calls for the integration of mining regulation under the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) to ensure better environmental protection, public participation, and enforcement.

This briefing by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) examines South Africa's decision not to join the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) and suggests that the country could provide leadership in mining transparency by doing so or by implementing legislation similar to the US Dodd-Frank Act.

This report documents a national workshop held on 16 and 17 September 2010 in Durban, jointly hosted by the Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD) and the Institute for Security Studies (ISS). The workshop aimed to explore how the newly established Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) should interpret and engage with its mandate to address police corruption, specifically focusing on the distinction between individual and systemic corruption.

The PAIA Civil Society Network (PAIA CSN) report provides an analysis of the implementation and usage of the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) in South Africa between August 2009 and August 2010. The report highlights systemic failures in records management, poor responsiveness from public and private bodies, and the limited use of the Act as a human rights advocacy tool. It further expresses strong opposition to the Protection of Information Bill, arguing that its broad definitions and criminal sanctions threaten open governance and the protection of whistleblowers and journalists.