Search Climate Insights Directory

The Municipal Performance Management Technical Digest (2025) is a guide produced by the Public Affairs Research Institute as part of the COMPACT project. It outlines the legislative frameworks, core components, and best practices for municipal performance management in South Africa, emphasizing the need for stronger community involvement to improve accountability and service delivery.

This case study examines a community-led buyback centre in the Vrygrond informal settlement of Cape Town, detailing its role in diverting waste from landfills and providing essential income to local waste reclaimers.

This synthesis report by GreenCape examines the economic impacts of water scarcity in the Berg Water Management Area (WMA) and evaluates the governance failures that hinder integrated water and economic planning. It projects severe economic losses by 2040, primarily driven by urban water deficits in the City of Cape Town, and recommends institutional reforms, including the establishment of a Regional Water Utility and the adoption of hydro-economic decision-support tools.

This fact sheet analyzes the impact of water scarcity on the Stellenbosch Municipality (SM), highlighting that high urban growth and irrigated agriculture could lead to a significant water deficit by 2040, potentially costing the local economy R10.3 billion per year and 56,602 jobs.

This fact sheet by GreenCape analyzes the impact of water scarcity on the Swartland Municipality (SM), highlighting that high urban growth and irrigated agriculture could lead to severe economic losses and job deficits by 2040.

This policy brief examines the disconnect between water resource management and economic development planning in the Berg Water Management Area (WMA). It warns of severe economic losses and job deficits by 2040 due to water constraints and advocates for integrated planning, the potential creation of a regional water utility, and increased support from the Western Cape Government to help municipalities manage water augmentation and financing.

The 2016 Waste Economy Market Intelligence Report by GreenCape analyzes the transition of South Africa's waste sector from a landfill-centric model toward a more sustainable, resource-efficient economy. It highlights significant opportunities for recycling and alternative waste treatment, particularly in the Western Cape, while detailing the regulatory shifts and financial incentives available to greentech investors.

The 2015 GreenCape Market Intelligence Report provides a comprehensive analysis of the waste economy in South Africa, with a specific focus on the Western Cape. It examines the market for dry recyclables, organic waste, construction and demolition waste, and waste-to-energy (WtE) technologies, while detailing the regulatory barriers and investment opportunities within the sector.

The Greencape Market Intelligence Report 2014: Waste examines the regulatory and economic landscape of the waste sector in South Africa, with a specific focus on the Western Cape. It details the transition from end-of-pipe to cradle-to-cradle waste management, the challenges of municipal procurement and licensing, and the development of waste-to-energy and recycling industries.

This document is an excerpt from the 2012 National Framework for Air Quality Management in the Republic of South Africa, published in the Government Gazette on 29 November 2013. It details strategies for air quality governance, focusing on awareness-raising, standard setting, public participation, capacity development, and information dissemination to achieve clean air goals.

This document consists of appendices to a report by GreenCape, detailing stakeholder engagement records, workshop structures and outcomes, and technical data regarding water requirements and economic values in the Berg Water Management Area (WMA) of the Western Cape.

This reference guide by GreenCape provides water and wastewater businesses and investors with a framework for entering the South African public water sector. It details the institutional landscape, planned infrastructure spending in metropolitan and Western Cape municipalities, procurement legislation, and platforms for technology trialling.

This industry brief by GreenCape examines the financial viability of using battery energy storage systems (BESS) for tariff arbitrage in the Western Cape, South Africa. It focuses on leveraging time-of-use (TOU) tariffs to reduce energy costs by charging batteries during off-peak periods and discharging during peak periods, particularly as the decline in loadshedding has left many existing BESS installations underutilised.

This industry brief by GreenCape reviews water and sanitation by-laws across municipalities in the Western Cape, South Africa. It evaluates the completeness and clarity of these local regulations against a 2005 model by-law, highlighting the implications for businesses—particularly water-intensive industries—regarding fees, audits, industrial effluent, and alternative water sources.

This report by GreenCape evaluates the financial and operational feasibility of installing solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on agricultural packhouses, using a modelled apple packhouse to demonstrate the business case. It highlights that the primary value of these systems comes from replacing expensive grid electricity during peak daytime demand—driven by cooling and packing activities—rather than selling excess power back to the grid. The analysis concludes that while large-scale systems are consistently profitable, smaller installations require favorable financing to be viable.