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The document outlines the potential for Black Soldier Fly (BSF) agriculture to transition South Africa from a linear to a circular economy by converting organic waste into high-value protein meal, oil, and frass. While the sector faces scaling challenges and investor caution—highlighted by the closure of Inseco in 2024—there are significant opportunities in waste management, pet food, and regenerative agriculture. The brief recommends regulatory reforms to accelerate feed and fertilizer registration and the development of industry standards for substrates.

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 policy brief critiques the 'good governance' paradigm's reliance on transparency and accountability, arguing it often fails in developing countries like South Africa. It proposes alternative frameworks, including 'political settlements' theory, collective action, and behavioural sciences, to address systemic corruption as a collective action problem driven by social norms and economic incentives rather than individual malice.

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 document examines the intersection of South Africa's renewable energy goals and indigenous land rights, focusing on the Boegoebaai site in the Northern Cape. It highlights how the failure to resolve historical land dispossessions and finalize restitution claims for the Richtersveld community risks further alienating indigenous populations during the energy transition. The brief advocates for moving beyond narrow definitions of 'justice'—which currently focus on employment and BBBEE—toward a framework that recognizes indigenous land sovereignty and implements inclusive partnership models.

The statement evaluates the complex legacy of Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, noting his contradictory approach during Apartheid—advocating for political prisoners while opposing sanctions and governing within the Bantustan system. It highlights his role in the violence of the early 1990s in KwaZulu-Natal and his efforts to secure autonomy for the Zulu Kingdom, which resulted in lasting constitutional privileges for tribal authorities and the unique status of the Ingonyama Trust. Conversely, the text praises his post-1994 conduct as a dedicated Minister of Home Affairs, his commitment to the Government of National Unity, his criticism of the Mbeki administration's HIV/AIDS policies, and his lifelong dedication to public service and parliamentary accountability.

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 South African Youth Gender Action Plan (SA YGAP) is a framework developed by youth aged 13-30 to address systemic gender inequalities in South Africa. It proposes specific interventions across seven pillars: education, health, safety, gender-based violence (GBV), identity and sexuality, the public/private sector, and sustainable transformation. Key demands include the national adoption of inclusive school policies, the provision of free menstrual products, the recognition of obstetric violence as a form of homicide, and the integration of marginalised genders into 'Just Transition' climate policies. The plan emphasizes an intersectional approach to dismantle patriarchal and heteronormative structures affecting women, youth, and the LGBTQIA+ community.

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 argues that the proposed Lephalale Coal and Power Project (LCPP) poses substantial health risks to surrounding communities in Limpopo, South Africa. It critiques the project's official Air Quality Impact Assessment (AQIA) for failing to provide quantifiable health risk estimates and for relying on weak national air quality standards. In contrast, the report supports findings from the Centre for Research into Energy and Clean Air (CREA), which identifies significant morbidity and mortality risks and an 'unfunded liability' of US$33.6 billion in externalised health costs. The author provides a comprehensive review of peer-reviewed literature linking coal-related pollutants—including particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10), nitrogen oxides, and mercury—to respiratory, cardiovascular, neurocognitive, and maternal health disorders, as well as various cancers.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) is a South African public interest law organisation that uses litigation and advocacy to defend the constitutional right to a healthy environment. Between 2009 and 2023, CER achieved landmark judgments on climate change (Thabametsi), air pollution (Deadly Air), and the protection of activists against SLAPP suits. The organisation operates four main programmes: Pollution & Climate Change, Corporate Accountability & Transparency, Activist Support & Training, and Mining. CER emphasizes an intersectional approach, focusing on the disproportionate impact of pollution on poor and Black communities and promoting women's leadership within the environmental justice movement.

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 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.

The Mgundeni community in northern KwaZulu-Natal became the first land reform community in South Africa to sign a voluntary biodiversity stewardship agreement in 2009. In partnership with WWF and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, the community has implemented sustainable livestock and vegetable projects, restored 124 ha of land, and adopted rotational grazing and fire management practices. These initiatives led to a significant increase in cattle herd size and a reduction in winter mortality rates, resulting in the community receiving the 2022 WWF Living Planet Award.

Good Governance Africa evaluates COP27, noting the establishment of a fund for vulnerable developing countries as a major achievement but criticizing the lack of accountability from the Global North. The statement highlights that Africa is disproportionately affected by climate change despite contributing only 4% of global emissions. It identifies critical gaps in adaptation finance, noting that the $100 billion pledge remains unmet and that $300 billion is needed by 2030. The document also critiques African disunity over the role of gas in energy transitions, poor local governance in disaster management, and the failure of oil-wealthy nations like Nigeria and Angola to achieve sustainable development due to corruption.

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.

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 report outlines a framework for food systems transformation in southern Africa, emphasizing the need for a water-energy-food (WEF) nexus approach, the integration of indigenous knowledge, and the empowerment of women and youth. It identifies key leverage points for change, such as governance reform, sustainable rural livelihoods, and the adoption of climate-smart agriculture. The document recommends shifting from siloed sectoral approaches to systemic, multi-sectoral governance and suggests using 'futuring' methodologies to identify 'Seeds of Change'—small-scale innovative projects that can be upscaled to build regional resilience.

The report argues that G7 economies face significant economic risks due to the interconnectedness of global supply chains, where climate-driven disruptions in production hubs—particularly in Africa, Asia, and Latin America—transmit shocks to industrialised nations. It cites examples such as the 2011 Thailand floods and recent flooding in Durban, South Africa, to illustrate how extreme weather causes global price spikes and production delays. Specific analyses for the US, Germany, UK, and Japan reveal vulnerabilities in sectors ranging from ICT and automotive manufacturing to food security. The document concludes that because labour cost differentials continue to drive the offshoring of production, G7 nations must cooperate globally and fulfill adaptation funding commitments to secure their own supply chains.