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The report examines the proposed green hydrogen development in Boegoebaai, Northern Cape, focusing on the readiness of the Namakwa District Municipality (DM) and Richtersveld Local Municipality (LM). It finds that both municipalities lack the financial and technical capacity to support the anticipated population influx and infrastructure needs. The study highlights a 'top-down' planning approach by national and provincial governments that excludes local authorities and communities, leading to mistrust and procedural injustices. It concludes that without significant intergovernmental support and genuine public participation, the transition risks being unjust and disruptive to rural livelihoods.

The document examines the impact of COVID-19 on agricultural value chains within the SADC region, noting that while the sector was less affected than others, the pandemic intensified existing vulnerabilities. Key challenges identified include a heavy reliance on subsistence farming, food insecurity, and the effects of climate change. The authors argue for a 'dual approach' that supports both small-scale and large-scale commercial farming, the adoption of climate-smart technologies, and the digitalisation of value chains. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is highlighted as a critical mechanism for enhancing regional trade and protecting small-scale farmers.

A coalition of environmental organizations argues that Albioma's plan to convert the Bois-Rouge and Le Gol power plants in Réunion from coal to solid biomass would increase greenhouse gas emissions, undermine energy autonomy goals for 2030, and threaten biodiversity through the import of wood pellets from the US and South Africa.

Natural Justice (NJ) submits that while the Upgrading of Land Tenure Rights Amendment Bill is necessary to address the unconstitutionality of the 1991 Act—which discriminated against women by automatically converting tenure rights to ownership for men—the proposed mechanisms remain flawed. NJ argues that the reliance on Government Gazette notifications is unrealistic for rural women and that the top-down state-led arbitration process ignores local family-level tenure structures. The submission calls for the permanent adoption of the Interim Protection of Informal Land Rights Act and a shift toward local knowledge-based tenure determination.

The report positions urban centers as critical drivers for climate leadership and economic recovery, specifically examining Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, and South Africa to propose pathways for inclusive and climate-resilient futures.

SADC member states generally struggle to meet the 2001 Abuja Declaration pledge to allocate 15% of national budgets to healthcare, with an average annual allocation of 5.3%. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted critical gaps in healthcare infrastructure, drug supplies, and professional staffing, while simultaneously straining regional economies. To bridge funding gaps amidst declining GDP and high external debt, the paper recommends establishing a SADC regional healthcare fund backed by the African Union, forming public-private partnerships, improving domestic tax compliance, and involving civil society organisations to ensure transparency in health financing.

Civil society organizations express their support for the Zondo Commission and the South African judiciary, condemning former president Jacob Zuma's refusal to testify and his attacks on the courts. The signatories argue that no individual, including a former president, is immune from the law and that such defiance undermines the constitutional principle of equality before the law.

The Public Affairs Research Institute urges President Cyril Ramaphosa to strengthen the draft National Implementation Framework towards the Professionalisation of the Public Service. The author contends that current norms allow political office bearers to prioritize personal connections over expertise, contributing to corruption and the breakdown of basic services. The letter proposes granting the Public Service Commission greater institutional independence to manage the appointment and removal of senior public servants, including the head of the public service and directors-general, to ensure a capable state able to address social, economic, and climate crises.

The document examines the New Development Bank's (NDB) approach to information disclosure and grievance redressal for infrastructure projects in the global South, with a focus on South Africa. It highlights a systemic lack of public access to critical project documentation, including risk assessments, management plans, and the Country Partnership Plan. While the NDB's Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) delegates implementation and grievance redressal to clients, the document argues that this creates gaps in accountability and transparency.

The New Development Bank (NDB) emphasizes the use of 'country systems' for project implementation, which shifts the primary responsibility for environmental and social assessments, consultations, and grievance mechanisms to the client. However, the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) finds that critical project documentation—including risk assessments, management plans, and Country Partnership Plans (CPP)—is not publicly available. While the NDB has its own Information Disclosure Policy (IDP), there is ambiguity regarding its susceptibility to South Africa's Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA), as the NDB's Africa Regional Center has indicated it is not subject to such legislation. The report highlights a lack of transparency in the NDB's decision-making processes and recommends that all project and policy information be made accessible via the NDB website to ensure accountability.

This policy brief examines the supply and demand side barriers to financing climate-smart urban infrastructure, focusing on the role of National Development Banks (NDBs). It introduces a 12-dimension 'City Maturity Model' to help city officials improve their strategic, financial, and operational capacities to attract green investment. The brief highlights that while NDBs are well-positioned as intermediaries, only 4% of Public Development Banks are specifically mandated to finance local governments. It provides recommendations for city officials to engage national policymakers, strengthen revenue capture, and build technical expertise, supported by case studies from Cape Town, Chefchaouen, and Belo Horizonte.

The policy brief argues that National Development Banks (NDBs) are ideal intermediaries for scaling climate-smart urban infrastructure due to their local knowledge, yet few are currently mandated to finance local governments or green projects. The research introduces an NDB Maturity Model consisting of 12 dimensions across strategic, financial, business, and operational parameters to standardize the assessment of NDB capacity. It identifies key barriers including unspecific mandates, lack of sectoral expertise, and insufficient capitalization. The document recommends that International Financial Institutions (IFIs) support NDBs by providing project preparation facilities, technical assistance, and access to innovative capital and de-risking instruments to catalyze private investment.

The report examines three community-based organisations (CBOs) in South Africa—Seven Passes Initiative, Net vir Pret, and Hantam Community Education Trust—to identify common elements for sustainable violence prevention. It argues that successful interventions must be aligned with local culture, prioritize the building of social capital, and manage the tension between immediate service delivery and long-term community transformation. The findings highlight that while these CBOs have fostered significant 'intangible' gains like trust and hope, they often operate in the absence of consistent government support and face challenges in overcoming deep-seated racial divisions.

The study found that a lack of transparency regarding course syllabi in the UK and France constitutes a significant barrier to assessing diversity in academia. While Norwegian universities were transparent, they offered very few courses on African peace and conflict. The authors suggest that in countries with high tuition fees, reading lists are often treated as intellectual property or paid products, hindering the ability to analyze whether curricula are being decolonised.

The document examines South Africa's reliance on international DFIs and MDBs to bridge a ZAR502 billion funding gap in its Infrastructure Build Programme, noting a historical hesitation to seek such aid. It highlights that while renewable energy has received the bulk of funding, there are significant gaps in project preparation skills and coordination. The author recommends that the Investment and Infrastructure Office (IIO) lead the coordination of donor assistance and that the government clarify funding structures and procurement processes to attract private investment.

The document argues that while most Southern African NDCs mention agriculture, they often lack quantifiable commitments, detailed financing plans, and inclusive governance. It recommends that revised NDCs explicitly include farmers as active agents of change, integrate gender and youth considerations, and establish multi-stakeholder platforms to ensure agricultural interests are reflected in climate action and sustainable development goals.

The submission by Natural Justice (NJ) evaluates the draft Expropriation Bill, 2020, which aims to replace the 1975 Act and allow for expropriation without compensation in South Africa. NJ argues that the Bill fails to account for climate change and agro-ecological constraints, which are critical given South Africa's limited arable land. The organization expresses concern over the state-centric approach to expropriation, the potential for state-owned land to be shielded from reform, and the risk that state-subsidized land held by disadvantaged people could be expropriated for nil compensation. NJ recommends the creation of an ombudsperson to represent public interests, the adoption of a Land Redistribution Framework Act for better oversight, and the implementation of a Land Records Act to protect the tenure of millions of people with unregistered rights.

The Zimbabwe APRM Popular Sensitisation (ZAPS) Project hosted a workshop on February 26, 2021, involving the Zimbabwean government, the APRM Secretariat, and civil society organisations (CSOs). The event focused on the role of CSOs in enhancing accountability and transparency through the APRM process. Participants from Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and Zambia shared experiences, emphasizing the need to avoid politicising the review process, the value of unified CSO collaboration, and the importance of involving youth and providing civic education to ordinary citizens.

The document examines how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected energy demand, security, and utility finances in emerging economies, arguing that the recovery phase presents an opportunity for a 'green recovery'. Using case studies from Indonesia, Kenya, Thailand, Mexico, and South Africa, it identifies common challenges such as household energy insecurity and financial stress for state-owned utilities. The authors urge governments to integrate green recovery into their NDC planning, commit to accelerated decarbonisation, and address systemic vulnerabilities to prevent social injustices during the energy transition.

The workshop served as a platform for youth working groups to validate a report on governance in South Africa, covering themes from institutional planning and political participation to climate change and economic empowerment. Government and APRM representatives emphasized the importance of integrating youth voices into the national review process, particularly given high youth unemployment rates. The working groups identified systemic failures in policy implementation, a lack of youth representation in political parties, and the need for a 'green, intersectional and just' future to address climate change and its compounding effects on other social issues.