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This research paper by the International Labour Organization (ILO) provides a rapid assessment of the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on South Africa's economy and labour market, emphasizing the disproportionate effect on disadvantaged groups and the need for a sequenced policy response based on the ILO's four-pillar framework.

The South African Water Caucus (SAWC) issued a series of letters between April and August 2020 to the South African government, including the Minister of Water and Sanitation and the President, demanding emergency water and sanitation services. The correspondence highlights a critical lack of access to clean water and soap in numerous rural and informal settlements, which the SAWC argues increases the risk of COVID-19 transmission and violates constitutional rights. The document includes detailed annexures listing specific communities in the Western Cape, Limpopo, Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, and Free State suffering from dry taps, unreliable water tankers, and inadequate sanitation.

The document argues that South Africa's local government fiscal framework is unsustainable because municipalities cannot raise sufficient own revenue to cover operating expenditures. This funding gap has led to financial distress for many municipalities and the erosion of the social wage, as affordable basic services for poor households are not maintained. The authors conclude that the original assumptions of the 1998 White Paper on Local Government are incorrect and call for a redesign of the local government structure based on empirical data regarding service costs and affordability.

The Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) argues that South Africa's land reform programs have failed poor black women, leaving them marginalized and vulnerable. The letter highlights a stark gap between women's roles in the agricultural workforce and their actual land ownership, noting that this landlessness increases women's susceptibility to food insecurity and domestic violence, a situation worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The document outlines the legal framework provided by UNCLOS for landlocked states to secure access to the sea and exploit living resources in the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) of coastal states. It emphasizes that while UNCLOS establishes general rights, the practical implementation depends on negotiated agreements between landlocked and transit states. The brief highlights the importance of mutual benefit, citing the Ethiopia-Djibouti agreement and the Walvis Bay Corridor Group as successful models of cooperation in Africa.

The document argues that the COVID-19 pandemic serves as a 'climate change parable,' presenting both risks and opportunities for global climate action. While the pandemic caused a temporary decrease in global emissions, the author warns that this is not a permanent decoupling of economic growth from emissions. The paper highlights a divide in national responses: some countries, like Rwanda and Canada, have integrated climate goals into recovery plans, while others, such as Australia and China, have shown tendencies toward industry protectionism or high-emissions stimulus. The author recommends that governments use stimulus packages to decarbonize the economy through fossil fuel tax reforms, renewable energy investments, and conditional state bailouts for carbon-intensive sectors to ensure the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement remains attainable.

The report examines the impact of COVID-19 on insurance regulators across sub-Saharan Africa, noting a shift toward remote supervision and a balancing act between providing regulatory relief and maintaining prudential soundness. It highlights that while the pandemic disrupted operations and exacerbated existing market vulnerabilities—such as high expense ratios and fragmented competition—it also created opportunities for digitalisation, the adoption of regtech and suptech, and responsible market consolidation to enhance long-term efficiency and consumer protection.

The NAP Costing Methodology (NAP-CM) is a pragmatic framework designed for Fiji's Ministry of Economy to produce rapid, comparable cost estimates for climate adaptation measures. It primarily employs a bottom-up engineering cost approach, adding individual activity costs to determine the total cost of a measure. The methodology is divided into two phases: Phase 1 focuses on rapid evaluation using a simple Excel tool, while Phase 2 allows for optional, advanced economic analyses such as cost-benefit analysis (CBA) for high-investment projects. The tool incorporates both 'calculated cost' and 'aggregate cost' approaches, handles discounting using a default rate of 5.75%, and includes mechanisms for sensitivity analysis and uncertainty adjustments. The methodology was tested through pilots in the agriculture and human settlements sectors, emphasizing the need for policy decisions to define the specific activities that constitute each general NAP measure.

The report argues that South African municipalities are in a state of financial distress because the fiscal framework designed in the 1998 White Paper overestimated the ability of local governments to fund their operating expenditures through property rates and service charges. While the framework assumed 73% of operating costs could be covered by own revenue, the authors estimate the actual figure is likely less than 50%. This gap forces tariff increases that erode the 'social wage'—the state's strategy of providing affordable basic services to reduce poverty. The paper notes that good governance alone cannot solve this structural deficit, as even municipalities with clean audits often end the year in deficit. It further highlights that Eskom's direct supply of electricity to many households removes a key credit control tool for municipalities, hindering the collection of rates and taxes. The authors conclude that the system is fundamentally unsound and requires a complete redesign based on empirical data regarding service costs and household affordability.

The document maps local procurement regulations in the SADC region, distinguishing between demand-side policies (encouraging companies to buy locally) and supply-side interventions (supporting local supplier capacity). It finds that while most SADC countries have some form of local procurement requirement, the level of detail varies significantly, with the DRC, Namibia, South Africa, and Tanzania employing specific targets and plans, while others rely on vague 'best effort obligations'.

The document examines the challenges South African municipalities face as residential rooftop solar PV adoption grows, specifically focusing on the loss of revenue used to cross-subsidize low-income households. It highlights a significant lack of system registration, with an estimated 75% of households failing to inform municipalities of their installations. The paper argues that appropriate tariff design and transparent communication are essential to balance the interests of prosumers and utilities. To support this, the authors introduce a simulation-based electricity decision-making tool developed by Stellenbosch University to help policymakers visualize the complex interactions between tariffs, consumer behavior, and grid stability.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), acting as part of the Life After Coal campaign and other environmental justice networks, submitted written objections on July 30, 2020, against Eskom's application for a once-off suspension of compliance with New Plant Minimum Emission Standards (MES) and a variation request for the Grootvlei Power Station. The CER argues that the application is procedurally invalid, lacks a detailed decommissioning schedule, and unlawfully seeks to extend polluting activities beyond the station's end-of-life, thereby violating constitutional rights to a healthy environment.

The South African Water Caucus (SAWC) is demanding urgent government intervention to provide water and sanitation to over 200 communities across South Africa. The letter highlights systemic failures in water distribution, the inadequacy of the Department of Water and Sanitation's hotline, and the severe health risks posed to vulnerable populations during the COVID-19 pandemic. It provides a detailed annexure of affected areas in the Western Cape, Limpopo, Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, and Free State, citing issues such as dry taps, polluted water sources, and a lack of soap and sanitation products.

The Centre for Environmental Rights, on behalf of the Life After Coal campaign and 350Africa.org, provides commentary on the National Treasury's 2020 Draft Technical Paper 'Financing a Sustainable Economy'. The submission argues that the Draft Paper focuses too heavily on voluntary disclosure rather than binding commitments and fails to align with the urgency of the climate crisis or South Africa's international obligations under the Paris Agreement.

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) proposes a managed reopening of South Africa's economy that prioritizes worker safety, social protections, and state-led economic transformation. Key recommendations include democratizing workplace health and safety, expanding income support through a universal Basic Income Guarantee, improving public health and education infrastructure, and implementing a proportionate fiscal stimulus to reverse austerity measures.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), acting for the Vaal Environmental Justice Alliance and groundWork, has issued a formal request to the National Air Quality Officer and other authorities for the reasons and supporting documentation behind a decision to partly grant an application by ArcelorMittal South Africa (Vanderbijlpark) (AMSA). The decision relates to the suspension, alternative limits, or postponement of compliance with Minimum Emission Standards (MES) under the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act, 2004.

The Budget Justice Coalition (BJC) attributes the July 2020 unrest in South Africa to a combination of food and economic insecurity, state capture, and the government's adherence to austerity budgets. The BJC highlights that the termination of the R350 COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress grant and the caregiver allowance in October 2020 increased hunger for millions. The coalition criticizes the 2021 budget for implementing R265 billion in cuts to public services, including R50.3 billion from health care, R9 billion from public schools, and R39 billion from the police budget. To address the root causes of violence, the BJC demands the implementation of a Universal Basic Income Grant, the reinstatement of COVID-related grants at a rate of R585 per month, and the reversal of austerity measures in health, education, and social welfare.

The Public Health Association of South Africa (PHASA) calls for a 'healthy recovery' from COVID-19 that avoids returning to unsustainable economic patterns. The group argues that air pollution from coal-fired power stations, particularly in the Mpumalanga Highveld, exacerbates respiratory diseases and coronavirus mortality. PHASA advocates for a just energy transition to renewables, the closure of coal mines, and the active involvement of the health sector in the Presidential Climate Change Commission to address the intersecting crises of pandemics and climate change.

On 7 July 2020, the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) and the Botswana Council of Non-Governmental Organisations (BOCONGO) convened a meeting with the Botswana APRM Civil Society Working Group. The primary goal was to collapse a broad list of governance concerns into 12 concise issues to facilitate a coherent civil society submission. Participants debated the interrelation of topics such as human rights, foreign policy, and sustainable development, eventually assigning specific organisations to draft sections on these themes. A total of R84,000 was allocated to be divided among the organisations responsible for the drafting process, with a target submission date in the first week of August.

The Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) submitted recommendations on the draft Public Procurement Bill [B – 2020], arguing that public procurement is critical to South Africa's economy but currently suffers from systemic corruption and operational failure.