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This case study by GreenCape examines three initiatives in Cape Town and South Africa designed to build a resilient solar PV industry through quality assurance and skills development: the establishment of SARETEC, the creation of a national Solar PV Service Technician qualification, and the implementation of the PV GreenCard.

This case study describes a circular economy initiative facilitated by the Western Cape Industrial Symbiosis Programme (WISP) involving Siyavana Solutions and the Shell Petroleum Company to upcycle decommissioned fuel pumps in South Africa.

This case study examines the Atlantis Renewable Energy Challenge (AREC), an annual non-curriculum inter-school competition for junior and high school students in Atlantis, South Africa. Launched in 2016 by GreenCape in partnership with the City of Cape Town, the programme aims to build resilience among youth by exposing them to the green economy and renewable energy sector to prepare them for future employment opportunities, particularly those linked to the Atlantis Special Economic Zone (ASEZ).

This case study details the water reduction strategies implemented by Virgin Active across its Western Cape branches in response to a severe regional drought. Through a R24 million investment in technological and behavioral interventions, the company reduced water usage by 62%.

This policy brief, produced by the Dialogue Forum for evidence-based programmes to prevent violence against women and children, identifies six systemic barriers to preventing interpersonal violence in South Africa and provides corresponding recommendations for government and multi-sectoral stakeholders.

The Khoikhoi Peoples’ Rooibos Biocultural Community Protocol (BCP), published in 2019 by Natural Justice, serves as a formal framework to assert the Khoikhoi people's rights as traditional knowledge holders of Rooibos (Aspalathus linearis). It outlines the community's history of dispossession, their organizational structure for granting Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), and the mechanisms for sharing benefits from the commercialization of Rooibos through a dedicated trust.

The South Africa’s Low-Emission Development Strategy (SA LEDS) 2050 is a strategic framework designed to transition South Africa to a low-carbon growth path by 2050. It aligns national policies with the Paris Agreement and the country's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), focusing on a 'peak, plateau and decline' emissions trajectory. The strategy outlines sectoral measures for energy, industry, agriculture, forestry, and waste, while emphasizing a 'Just Transition' to ensure socio-economic upliftment and job security during the shift away from fossil fuels.

This report examines the intersection of gender and migration in South Africa, arguing that current migration policies are largely gender-neutral or geared toward men, which increases the vulnerability of women migrants. Through focus groups and interviews with mixed migrant women in the Western Cape, the study highlights the 'triple discrimination' of xenophobia, racism, and misogyny faced by African women migrants, and calls for rights-based, gender-sensitive policy reforms.

This document is a formal comment by groundWork submitted to the South African Department of Energy regarding the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 2018. The author argues that the IRP 2018 fails to address the urgency of the climate crisis, underestimates the health and environmental costs of coal, and maintains an outdated energy model that prioritizes coal and gas over a rapid transition to renewables.

This report by WWF South Africa examines the health challenges associated with unhealthy diets and food insecurity in South Africa. It explores the potential for collaborative industry initiatives between food manufacturers, retailers, government, and NGOs to address the 'triple burden of malnutrition' and the environmental impacts of industrial agriculture.

The report 'Young Leaders' by WWF South Africa documents the first decade of its Environmental Leaders internship programme (2008–2018), which aims to bridge the gap between university graduation and professional employment in the green economy. The programme focuses on developing scarce green skills through work-based learning, dedicated mentoring, and professional networking to combat high graduate unemployment in South Africa.

This guide outlines the application process for businesses seeking to invest in the Atlantis Special Economic Zone (ASEZ), emphasizing a requirement for 'greentech' ventures and a multi-agency evaluation process.

This policy brief by the Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) argues for the mainstreaming of Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) in South Africa to address risks to food security, water supply, and rural employment. The document proposes a transition toward agro-ecology and conservation agriculture (CA) to restore degraded land and protect strategic water source areas, suggesting that these labour-intensive practices can create new jobs in a 'Catchment Economy' and within the biofuel sector.

This policy brief, prepared by the Institute for Economic Justice for the Jobs Summit Inclusive Growth working group, examines the potential for agriculture and land reform to generate employment in South Africa. It analyzes the current state of the agricultural sector, proposes policy interventions for commercial farming and land reform, and presents three employment scenarios based on different levels of state support and land redistribution.

This report identifies and delineates Strategic Water Source Areas (SWSAs) for surface water and groundwater across South Africa, Lesotho, and Swaziland. It defines SWSAs as areas providing disproportionate runoff or high groundwater recharge that are nationally important for water security. The study identifies 22 national surface water SWSAs (SWSA-sw) and 37 national groundwater SWSAs (SWSA-gw), analyzing their contribution to urban centers, agriculture, and industry, while assessing threats from land-cover change, mining, and invasive alien plants.

This report details a trade mission from the Netherlands to Cape Town, South Africa, held from May 22-25, 2018. Organized by GreenCape in cooperation with the Netherlands Government, the mission focused on the circular economy and biomass valorisation, specifically targeting organic wet streams, invasive species, construction and demolition waste, plastics, and waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE).

This 2018 report by the Centre for Environmental Rights evaluates the legal and practical regulation of wild animal welfare in South Africa. It argues that the current system is fragmented, outdated, and biased toward economic gain, leaving captive and exploited wild animals with minimal protection. The report highlights a critical jurisdictional divide between biodiversity conservation (Department of Environmental Affairs) and animal welfare (Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries), which results in inconsistent permitting, poor compliance monitoring, and inadequate enforcement.

This case study describes the repurposing of 19,600 tonnes of builders' rubble from a historical berm in Hermanus, Western Cape. Iselula Crushing processed the material for use in local construction projects, including schools and a mall, resulting in significant material and landfill cost savings.

This report examines the role of public procurement as a strategic tool for delivering government services and addressing climate change, specifically investigating the policy space for implementing sustainable public procurement (SPP) in South Africa.

The ATI Network Shadow Report 2018, compiled by the South African History Archive (SAHA) and other civil society members, evaluates the effectiveness of the Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 (PAIA) in South Africa between 1 June 2017 and 31 July 2018. The report highlights systemic failures in public body compliance, including high rates of non-responsiveness and the misuse of legal provisions to delay information release, while also discussing the challenges of accessing data from private bodies and the impact of these barriers on rights to education and the environment.