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The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), on behalf of the Life After Coal (LAC) coalition, submitted comments on the Gas Amendment Bill [B – 2023], arguing that accelerating gas infrastructure is irrational given the climate emergency and South Africa's extreme vulnerability to climate change. The submission criticizes the Bill for inadequate public consultation processes, lack of transparency regarding confidential information, and a failure to align with international climate targets such as the IPCC's 1.5°C benchmark.

The IEJ criticizes the 2024 Budget for prioritizing debt stabilization over public services and economic growth. It highlights significant real-term cuts in non-interest expenditure, the erosion of social grant values, and underfunding of public employment and healthcare. The report proposes increasing taxes on high-income earners and corporations, expanding social grants to the food poverty line, and increasing public investment to 25% to drive infrastructure and job creation.

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) asserts that South Africa has failed to mobilise its maximum available resources, leading to unnecessary cuts in social service spending. The brief proposes a shift toward proactive resource mobilisation, specifically through taxing wealth and financial transactions, restoring Corporate Income Tax rates, and reducing tax exemptions for the wealthy. It further suggests renegotiating debt terms and leveraging reserves to create a more equitable economic framework and fulfill constitutional and international socioeconomic obligations.

The 2024 National Budget continues a decade-long trend of budget cuts to achieve a primary budget surplus and stabilise debt, despite high levels of poverty and unemployment in South Africa. The IEJ argues that the National Treasury's claim of insufficient funds is contradicted by the drawdown of R150 billion from the Gold and Foreign Exchange Contingency Reserve Account (GFECRA). The document highlights real-term declines in per capita non-interest expenditure, social grant values, and spending on healthcare and education. It proposes alternative revenue sources, such as wealth taxes and taxing financial transactions, to fund essential services and job creation. The IEJ criticises the reliance on Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) for infrastructure and electricity, warning of fiscal risks and potential tariff increases.

The Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) critiques the Public Procurement Bill 2023, asserting that it fails to create a coherent regulatory architecture and risks unconstitutionality by separating general procurement systems from preferential procurement policies. PARI argues that the Bill's new provisions on 'set-asides' and 'prequalification' are poorly defined and may disrupt state operations. The submission proposes returning Chapter 4 to NEDLAC for consultation and suggests several amendments to enhance the powers of the Public Procurement Office, improve the disclosure of beneficial ownership, and establish incentivised whistleblowing mechanisms.

The JSR argues that the Public Procurement Bill (B18B-2023) relies on an ineffective 'administrative paradigm' rather than a 'strategic contracting paradigm'. The submission highlights significant constitutional risks, particularly regarding the removal of price as a required criterion for tenders and the conflation of preference categories. It calls for the independence of regulatory functions from the National Treasury, the introduction of incentivized whistleblowing, and the adoption of open contracting standards to combat corruption and ensure value for money.

The report outlines a framework for South Africa's energy transition toward 2050, promoting a 'Regenerative Prosperity' model that prioritizes ecological stewardship and well-being over unlimited growth. It identifies driving forces for change, such as shifting cultural values and civic technologies, while highlighting key uncertainties regarding geopolitical alignments and economic paradigms. The document urges a move away from growth-centric economies and 'used futures' toward inclusive governance and decentralized energy systems.

The submission supports the Public Service Commission Bill 2023's goal of enhancing the impartiality and independence of the PSC, particularly regarding local government and public entities. However, it identifies two critical gaps: the lack of a framework for appointing the head of the PSC and the absence of a role for the PSC in supporting the appointment of senior administrative staff to ensure a stable political-administrative interface.

The Universal Basic Income Coalition (UBIC) criticizes draft amendments to South Africa's Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant regulations. While the amendments extend the grant until 2025, UBIC argues they introduce punitive clauses, such as the power to recover funds from beneficiaries and the cancellation of unpaid applications after 90 days. The coalition highlights that the R350 grant value is now below half of the food poverty line due to inflation and attributes high exclusion rates to National Treasury's budget constraints and poor administration by DSD and SASSA.

The Institute for Economic Justice and #PayTheGrants filed a court case on 21 July 2023 challenging the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant regulations. The challenge argues that barriers to access and the stagnant R350 monthly value violate the constitutional right to social assistance and constitute unconstitutional retrogression.

The document outlines strategic priorities to combat youth unemployment in Uganda, emphasizing the need for anti-corruption measures, investment in agribusiness infrastructure, and the alignment of education curricula with 21st-century labour market demands.

The IEJ criticizes President Ramaphosa's SONA for lacking concrete plans to address South Africa's economic crises, poverty, and unemployment. The organization urges MPs to question the President on the sustainability of the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant, the risks of private sector-led infrastructure and energy transitions, the 'starvation' of public services by the National Treasury, and the failure to hold state capture perpetrators accountable. The IEJ specifically calls for a transition to a Universal Basic Income Guarantee and the use of the Gold and Foreign Exchange Contingency Reserve Account (GFECRA) to fund developmental priorities.

The document argues that National Treasury's 'hyper-austerity' and unilateral budget cuts undermine constitutional rights and the effectiveness of social programmes. It highlights the decline in funding for the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant and the failure of child support grants to keep pace with food inflation. The authors call for a shift toward a developmental agenda that includes a basic income grant by 2025, wealth taxes to fund social services, and public investment in infrastructure and the energy transition.

The document outlines a roadmap for Malawi's future prosperity by focusing on youth-centric policies. It advocates for the integration of youth voices in national planning, the creation of a transformative education investment plan, the incorporation of mental health services into primary healthcare, and a shift toward community-based disaster risk reduction. These recommendations stem from a participatory research project using foresight methodologies like Futures Literacy Labs and the Three Horizons Framework, highlighting the urgent need for resilience following events such as Cyclone Freddy.

The Institute for Economic Justice argues that South Africa's National Treasury has unnecessarily cut social spending by failing to mobilize available resources. The brief identifies significant revenue potential through the removal of regressive tax breaks for high earners, the introduction of wealth and financial transaction taxes, and the utilization of the Gold and Foreign Exchange Contingency Reserve Account (GFECRA). It recommends restoring the Corporate Income Tax rate to 28% and implementing a progressive Social Security Tax to fund social protections.

Saudi Arabia was the world's largest arms importer between 2015 and 2019, relying heavily on the US and European allies for major weapon systems. While the Kingdom has attempted to diversify ammunition sources and develop a domestic defence industry under Vision 2030, it remains constrained by the need for interoperability with NATO-standard systems and a lack of an indigenous industrial base. The brief concludes that achieving full self-reliance would take decades, leaving the Kingdom vulnerable to the policy shifts of its primary suppliers.

The Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) and University of Johannesburg provide comments on the draft White Paper for Human Settlements 2023, highlighting gaps in property market regulation, climate strategy execution, and the risks posed by Eskom debt relief to basic service delivery in South Africa.

The document evaluates G20 progress on international taxation, specifically the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework and the Two-Pillar Solution, noting that while African countries have gained representation—including the African Union's permanent G20 seat—significant gaps remain in technical capacity and revenue generation. It argues that African countries, with a tax-to-GDP ratio of 16%, must prioritise Domestic Resource Mobilisation (DRM) to fund Sustainable Development Goals. The brief recommends that future G20 presidencies focus on digitalising tax administrations, implementing a global carbon taxation system, and adopting more progressive tax policies to fund social protection for the informal sector, which comprises 85.8% of jobs in Africa.

The document outlines a framework for empowering Tanzanian youth through three strategic priorities: accelerating technological advancement with gender-inclusive training, ensuring unrestricted access to information via digital literacy and connectivity, and reforming employment policies to create inclusive economic growth. Based on youth-led participatory research using foresight methodologies, it identifies critical gaps in education, mental health support, and youth representation in decision-making, while calling for public-private partnerships to modernize vocational training and digitize government services.

The document outlines a strategic framework to harness the potential of Zambia's youth population, which comprises over 70% of the population under age 30. Based on participatory research using Futures Literacy Labs and the Three Horizon Framework, it identifies critical gaps in political representation, education, and technology. The brief proposes four strategic priorities: mandating youth quotas in decision-making bodies, fast-tracking the Climate Change Bill of 2022 to support agri-tech innovation, reforming curricula to emphasize practical skills for employment, and implementing a National Internet Connectivity Plan to bridge the digital divide.