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The report examines the potential for mining companies to share their digital infrastructure—such as high-speed connectivity and data processing technologies—with host communities to catalyze economic diversification and social benefits. It identifies significant barriers, including the 'usage gap' driven by digital illiteracy and a lack of devices, and a pronounced gender digital divide. The document provides policy recommendations to integrate digital connectivity into local content strategies, improve inter-ministerial coordination, and establish public-private partnerships to ensure the long-term sustainability of these networks beyond the mine's life cycle.

The report identifies systemic failures in South African municipal public participation, where the IDP process is often viewed as a 'compliance exercise' rather than meaningful engagement. Key findings highlight the dysfunction of ward committees due to political interference and poor resourcing, a 'crisis of communication' between municipalities and residents, and a lack of accountability in performance management. It recommends moving beyond tokenistic participation toward a culture of transparency, improved civic education, and the professionalisation of the political-administrative interface to restore community trust and improve service delivery.

The report argues that South Africa has failed to translate its constitutional right to water into reality for millions of poor households. While physical access to piped water has increased since 1994, the state has substituted a comprehensive human-rights definition of access with a narrow focus on physical infrastructure. The report finds that the Free Basic Water (FBW) policy is inadequate because its 6kl monthly allocation is well below WHO minimums and is often restricted to a small number of registered indigent households. Furthermore, the report highlights a fundamental contradiction between municipal financial sustainability and affordable access, noting that high tariffs force poor households to sacrifice food expenditure to pay for water. It recommends revising the minimum water allowance to 75l per person per day, establishing a national indigent policy, and creating an independent water regulator to enforce concrete affordability standards.

The fact sheet examines the crisis of food insecurity in South Africa, asserting that while the country is food secure at a national level, millions of households suffer from hunger due to income poverty. It advocates for a Universal Basic Income Guarantee (UBIG) as a direct mechanism to ensure all adults can afford basic nutrition, contrasting this with the limitations of current targeted grants and the paternalism of food vouchers. The document also highlights the long-term economic and health costs of malnutrition and argues that a UBIG should be part of a broader strategy including a 'just food transition' to address systemic agricultural issues and climate change risks.

The document examines the crisis of hunger and malnutrition in South Africa, asserting that while the country produces enough food, millions suffer from food insecurity due to poverty and income inequality. It advocates for a Universal Basic Income Guarantee (UBIG) as a primary tool to ensure all citizens can afford nutritious food, thereby breaking the cycle of poverty and improving long-term economic productivity. The text contrasts cash transfers with food vouchers, arguing that cash is more efficient, less prone to corruption, and better for local economies. It also emphasizes that UBIG must be part of a broader strategy including a 'just food transition' to protect food systems from climate change.

The Institute for Economic Justice argues against the National Treasury's proposal for a binding fiscal rule in South Africa, claiming it misdiagnoses the debt problem by focusing on the quantum of debt rather than the cost of borrowing. Drawing on case studies from Brazil and Indonesia, the paper asserts that fiscal rules often lead to 'creative accounting', inappropriate budget cuts to social services, and reduced flexibility during crises, without necessarily lowering borrowing costs. The authors suggest that sustainable public finances can only be achieved through economic expansion, progressive revenue mobilization, and direct interventions to lower interest rates.

The paper examines the tension between SADC's economic-driven digital agenda and the protection of fundamental human rights. It identifies systemic threats including state-sanctioned internet shutdowns, surveillance, and algorithmic bias, while analyzing the influence of digital geopolitics involving the US, China, and the EU. The authors advocate for the recognition of the 'right to Internet access' and the adoption of 'data justice' frameworks to ensure an inclusive digital future by 2035.

The Green Connection (TGC) and Natural Justice (NJ) are seeking a judicial review in the Western Cape High Court to set aside the environmental authorisation granted to TotalEnergies EP South Africa Block 567 (Total) for exploration drilling between Cape Town and Cape Agulhas. The legal challenge is based on six grounds, including the failure to assess socio-economic impacts on small-scale fisheries, the omission of climate change impacts from gas combustion, and the lack of consideration for transboundary effects on Namibia. In July 2024, Total announced its decision to withdraw from Block 567, where it held a 40% commercial interest. Following this, Total applied to the court to join Shell as a party to the proceedings, a move opposed by TGC and NJ on the grounds that the case concerns the environmental authorisation granted to Total, not the exploration right itself.

The Green Connection (TGC) and Natural Justice (NJ) have filed for judicial review in the Western Cape High Court to overturn the environmental authorisation granted to Total Energies EP South Africa Block 567 (Pty) Ltd for offshore drilling. The challenge is based on six grounds, including failures to assess socio-economic impacts on small-scale fishers, climate change impacts from gas burning, and transboundary risks to Namibia. Following Total's July 2024 announcement of its withdrawal from block 567, the company filed a joinder application to include Shell as a party in the case, which TGC and NJ oppose on the grounds that the exploration right has lapsed and the challenge concerns the authorisation granted to Total, not the exploration right itself.

The paper analyzes e-government in Mauritius, South Africa, Seychelles, and Tunisia, arguing that a modular approach focusing on user experience can bypass the slow progress of traditional 'whole-of-government' strategies.

The CCFLA and Urban-Act Subnational Assessment Tool is designed to help city and regional officials identify strengths and gaps in the regulatory, institutional, and financial environments necessary to scale urban climate finance. The tool evaluates 49 dimensions across four categories: Climate Policy, Budget and Finance, Climate Data, and Vertical and Horizontal Coordination. It provides a structured six-step application process—from institutional mapping to the development of follow-up roadmaps—and includes a comprehensive directory of external resources and global case studies to guide subnational governments in improving their creditworthiness, data reporting, and intergovernmental cooperation.

The report finds that the DMRE has exhibited significant reluctance to lead South Africa's just energy transition (JET), often viewing it as a 'western imposition'. This resistance is rooted in the historical minerals-energy complex (MEC) and a desire to protect vested interests in the coal sector and black industrialist projects. The document highlights a lack of policy articulation, poor stakeholder engagement, and internal organizational incoherence caused by repeated mergers and splits. It recommends that the successor departments—Mineral and Petroleum Resources, and Electricity and Energy—improve transparency, update the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) regularly, and align the transition with the post-apartheid racial transformation agenda.

The document proposes a shift in South Africa's Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) ecosystem from a jobs-centric approach to one based on 'economic wellbeing,' which includes dignified labour, household care, ecosystem provisioning, and state infrastructure. To support the green hydrogen (GH2) economy, it recommends establishing a skills governance working group, creating green economy skills incubator hubs for experimentation, and adopting innovative financing like social and development impact bonds. Additionally, it advocates for a Universal Basic Dividend (UBD) funded by GH2 project profits to redistribute wealth from common resources and ensure a just energy transition, addressing historical land ownership disparities.

The petition argues that the Upstream Petroleum Resources Development Bill (B13B – 2021) violates the South African Constitution and the One Environmental System (OES). It highlights the Bill's failure to provide adequate local economic development frameworks, its acceleration of fossil fuel extraction during a climate emergency, and its insufficient public participation and consultation processes. The petitioners urge the President to refer the Bill back to Parliament for redrafting to align with human rights and climate science.

The report examines how the Violence Prevention Forum (VPF) influences government officials in South Africa, finding that it enhances intersectoral collaboration and provides a critical 'thinking space' for personal and professional reflection. While some officials find the emotionally demanding and non-traditional methods challenging, many have adopted VPF's inclusive practices and soft skills within their own departments, such as the Department of Basic Education and the Western Cape Government, to improve policy work and internal culture.

The document proposes a shift in South Africa's TVET sector from a jobs-centric model to a 'wellbeing economy' framework to support the emerging green hydrogen (GH2) sector. It advocates for 'skills governance'—integrating foresight, planning, and anticipation—to address unemployment and inequality. Key recommendations include establishing a skills governance working group, creating green economy skills incubator hubs, adopting innovative financing like social impact bonds, and implementing a Universal Basic Dividend (UBD) to redistribute wealth from common resources used in GH2 projects.

South Africa faces a projected 17% gap between water supply and demand by 2030, driven by climate change, population growth, and poor governance. The country's water infrastructure is at significant risk of failure due to reactive maintenance and maladministration, with 41% of municipal water classified as non-revenue water. Governance failures have led to critical risks in wastewater treatment and public health crises, such as the 2023 cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal. The document recommends implementing water conservation measures, developing climate adaptation plans, enhancing governance legislation, and prioritizing infrastructure investment in rural areas.

The document provides a summary of the proposed oil and gas exploration activities in Block 3B/4B by Africa Oil South Africa Corp and its partners. It outlines the technical aspects of the drilling project, the potential negative impacts on marine biodiversity, local livelihoods, and the climate, as well as the projected short-term economic benefits. The guide serves as a call for public participation, detailing how stakeholders can review the draft EIS and submit comments by February 8, 2024.

The report evaluates how South Africa's sophisticated insurance industry can be leveraged to bridge a R2.3bn annual disaster funding gap and improve climate resilience. While the country has high insurance penetration (10%), non-life coverage remains low among vulnerable groups due to affordability and regulatory costs. The document highlights opportunities in index-based agricultural insurance, municipal risk pooling, and the integration of insurance into social grant systems via SASSA. It also identifies significant transition risks for insurers due to the economy's reliance on carbon-intensive assets and recommends streamlining Public-Private Partnership (PPP) regulations to incentivise private sector investment in adaptation.

The 2024 Governance Performance Index (GPI) by Good Governance Africa evaluates 257 South African municipalities across categories including service delivery, administration, leadership, and planning. The report highlights a strong performance dominance by the Western Cape, significant disparities in service access between areas with and without a history of homeland or traditional authority governance, and the varying impact of hung councils on municipal effectiveness.