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This policy brief explores how monitoring and evaluation (M&E) can be used to build transformative equity and resilience in South Africa. Based on six case studies, it identifies four key enablers: contextualized learning, inclusive processes, increased agency for Global South actors in M&E design, and institutional arrangements that ensure long-term data ownership. The brief argues that M&E is a tool of power and advocates for a shift from funder-driven compliance to locally-led, reflexive systems that empower marginalized communities.

This briefing by GreenCape provides a comprehensive guide for global manufacturers considering investment in South Africa's green economy, specifically focusing on renewable energy, water, and sustainable agriculture. It details the policy landscape, market attractiveness, operational costs, labour laws, tax systems, and physical infrastructure, while identifying critical bottlenecks such as load shedding and policy inconsistency.

The 2023 Water Market Intelligence Report by GreenCape identifies significant investment opportunities in South Africa's public wastewater infrastructure, specifically focusing on metropolitan municipalities. The report highlights a critical state of existing infrastructure, the potential for circular economy solutions through sludge beneficiation, and the need for energy efficiency and renewable energy interventions to combat rising costs and energy insecurity.

This policy brief by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes provincial murder trends in South Africa from 2011/12 to 2022/23. It argues that national murder statistics are misleading because trends vary significantly by province, with a small number of populous provinces driving the overall increase in the national murder rate.

This 2023 report by WWF South Africa, based on research by the Behaviour Change Agency (BCA), explores the perceptions, root causes, and management practices regarding food loss and waste among 15 fruit and vegetable farmers in South Africa. The study highlights a critical lack of baseline data at the primary production level and identifies financial viability as the primary motivator for reducing waste.

The Mgundeni community in northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, became the first land reform community in the country to sign a biodiversity stewardship agreement in 2009. Through partnership with WWF and government agencies, the community has restored 124 ha of land, implemented a rotational grazing system that eliminated cattle mortality by 2015, and increased their herd size from 520 to over 700 by 2017. The community has diversified its income through commercial cattle auctions and a women-led agroecology vegetable project, earning the 2022 WWF Living Planet Award for its leadership in community-based conservation.

This report outlines the objectives of a community of practice on African climate finance, convened by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), and the African Development Bank (AfDB), to identify adaptation finance priorities for the COP27 conference in Egypt.

This fact sheet by the Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) audits the August 2022 draft of the South African Renewable Energy Masterplan (SAREM). It evaluates the draft against labour recommendations, arguing that the current plan lacks sufficient detail on decent work, public ownership, and aggressive localisation. The IEJ proposes a series of demands for final negotiations to ensure the energy transition supports employment creation, local manufacturing, and a proactive recycling industry.

This report details the outcomes of the Southern African Resilience Academy (SARA) in 2021, focusing on transforming food systems in southern Africa. Through a series of workshops and dialogues, SARA identified key leverage points for change, including the need for water-energy-food (WEF) nexus approaches, the integration of indigenous knowledge, and the empowerment of women and youth. The document provides 14 comprehensive recommendations for regional transformation, emphasizing a shift from siloed sectoral thinking to systemic, people-centered governance and the adoption of 'futuring' methodologies to plan for resilient food landscapes.

This report by Zero Carbon Analytics examines how G7 economies are exposed to cross-border climate risks due to the interconnected nature of global supply chains. It highlights that extreme weather events in production hubs—particularly in Asia, Africa, and Latin America—can cause global price spikes, industrial production declines, and threats to food security in industrialised nations. The document argues that because manufacturing is often offshored to lower-cost regions, G7 nations must cooperate internationally to fund climate adaptation in developing countries to secure their own supply chains.

The Life After Coal/Impilo Ngaphandle Kwamalahle Campaign, represented by the Centre for Environmental Rights, groundWork, and Earthlife Africa, submitted comments on the Climate Change Bill, 2022. The submission argues that the Bill is insufficient to address the climate emergency and lacks the urgency, ambition, and enforcement mechanisms necessary to meet South Africa's international obligations under the Paris Agreement and protect constitutional rights.

Natural Justice submitted comments on the draft Climate Change Bill (B9-2022) to the South African Portfolio Committee on Environment, Forestry and Fisheries on 27 May 2022. The organization argues that the Bill lacks the urgency required to address the climate crisis, fails to set ambitious emission reduction targets, and provides insufficient protections for constitutional rights and vulnerable communities.

This Rule 16A Notice, filed by the Centre for Environmental Rights on behalf of GroundWork Trust and the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, raises a constitutional issue regarding the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment's decision to refuse an appeal on 20 November 2021 concerning an Environmental Authorisation granted to Phinda Power Producers (Pty) Limited.

This report by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the complex relationship between climate change and violent conflict in Africa. It argues that while climate change acts as a 'risk multiplier' that can exacerbate existing political, social, and economic tensions, the link to violence is indirect and highly contextual. The document emphasizes the need for conflict-sensitive climate adaptation strategies, particularly in fragile contexts, and calls for the Global North to fulfill climate finance commitments to support the Global South.

This report argues that political instability and violent protests in South Africa are primarily driven by unmanageable elite contestation within the African National Congress (ANC) rather than spontaneous socio-economic grievances. Using data modelling and artificial intelligence, the authors demonstrate a strong correlation between ANC internal conflicts and protest spikes, particularly from 2018 onwards, while finding a low correlation with service delivery or unemployment trends.

This report by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes political scenarios for South Africa leading up to 2029, focusing on the internal divisions of the African National Congress (ANC) and their impact on economic growth and national security.

This report by WWF South Africa explores the potential for transitioning coal truck drivers to biomass supply chains, specifically focusing on the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The analysis suggests that a significant portion of the approximately 4,000 coal trucking jobs in South Africa could be offset by transporting sustainable biomass, with side tipper truck drivers being the most directly transferable group.

This policy brief by the Institute for Security Studies examines how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and violence negatively impact human development in South Africa. Drawing on the Birth to Thirty (Bt30) cohort study, it argues that childhood adversity creates a cumulative risk that undermines health, education, and economic productivity in adulthood, thereby hindering national development.

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) expresses grave concern over South Africa's fiscal trajectory ahead of the 2021 Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS), arguing that National Treasury's focus on 'fiscal consolidation' and austerity will hinder economic recovery and harm vulnerable populations.

This research paper examines the role of School Governing Bodies (SGBs) in underperforming schools in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. It finds that while the South African Schools Act (SASA) decentralizes governance to empower communities, in practice, SGBs in poor areas are often ineffective due to low parental capacity, sporadic district training, and a heavy reliance on school principals. This results in 'principal-dominated' governance where SGBs act as rubber stamps for decisions rather than strategic partners in improving academic performance. The paper also highlights tensions in teacher appointments, including the influence of localism ('son of the soil') and political affiliations.