Search Climate Insights Directory

This report by the Institute for Security Studies examines the nature, impact, and service delivery responses to violence against women in South Africa. Based on interviews with 1,000 survivors across nine provinces, the study analyzes economic, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, highlighting the normalization of domestic violence and the systemic failures of police, medical, and legal services in providing effective support and protection.

This report documents a political seminar held in Brazzaville, Congo, as part of 'South African Week' in April 2006. The event, organized by the South African Embassy in Brazzaville, the Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA), and the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), aimed to share South Africa's experiences of transitioning from apartheid to a democratic state to provide lessons for the Republic of Congo.

This report by Ebrahim Ebrahim details the transition of South Africa from apartheid to a democratic state, focusing on the strategic negotiations between the African National Congress (ANC) and the National Party, the role of international frameworks like the Harare Declaration, and the public participation processes that legitimized the final constitution.

This report by the Institute for Security Studies provides a detailed analysis of 787 closed police dockets from Pretoria, Durban, and Cape Town to understand the role of firearms in South African crime. It examines various firearm-related offences, including robbery, murder, and contraventions of the Arms and Ammunition Act, while highlighting significant gaps in police data collection and investigation quality.

This monograph examines the evolution, legislative framework, and operational challenges of municipal policing in post-apartheid South Africa. It details the transition from apartheid-era township policing and traditional traffic departments to the establishment of modern Municipal Police Services (MPS) under the South African Police Service Amendment Act No 83 of 1998, focusing on the experiences of major cities like Durban, Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Cape Town.

This policy brief by the Institute for Security Studies proposes a framework for scaling up evidence-based violence prevention programmes in South Africa. It argues that while the country has extensive research on the causes and nature of violence, there is a significant 'implementation gap' between policy and practice. The authors advocate for the use of implementation research and the establishment of an 'implementation hub' to coordinate government, NGOs, and academics in ensuring that interventions are effective, sustainable, and responsive to real-world community contexts.

This policy brief by the Omega Research Foundation, published by the Institute for Security Studies in June 2016, examines the manufacture and trade of electric shock devices in South Africa. It argues that a lack of trade controls on these devices—including stun belts, shields, and batons—facilitates torture and ill-treatment, contradicting South Africa's constitutional and international human rights obligations. The document details the activities of South African companies exporting these devices globally and recommends a comprehensive ban on body-worn and hand-held direct contact electric shock equipment.

This report describes the activities of the Network of Independent Monitors (NIM) in South Africa, focusing on its transition from monitoring political violence to addressing gang crime in the KwaMashu township. It details the development of a gang monitoring system designed to provide early warnings and facilitate community-police partnerships to prevent violence.

The Transnet Inquiry Reference Book, authored by the Public Affairs Research Institute, provides a fact-based account of governance failures and systemic corruption at Transnet, South Africa's state-owned freight transport and logistics company. The report details how the company's governance was repurposed to facilitate large-scale corruption and rent-seeking, primarily benefiting the Gupta family and their associates through manipulated procurement processes for locomotives, cranes, and IT services.

This case study examines the Non-Tariff Barrier (NTB) Monitoring Mechanism used by private sector actors in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Tripartite Free Trade Area to report trade barriers. While the online database successfully registers complaints, the document highlights significant failures in the resolution process, particularly regarding transport-related barriers, due to a lack of political will, technical expertise, and effective institutional structures.

This case study examines the development of the Port of Walvis Bay in Namibia as a strategic logistics hub for the Southern African Development Community (SADC). It details the port's infrastructure upgrades, the role of the state-owned Namibian Ports Authority (Namport), and the use of public-private partnerships through the Walvis Bay Corridor Group to facilitate trade for landlocked neighbors.

A budget vote speech delivered by the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, to the National Assembly on 31 May 2011. The speech outlines South Africa's foreign policy priorities, its role in regional and global governance, and the operational goals of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO).

This policy briefing examines South Africa's role as the host and president of the 17th session of the Conference of Parties (COP 17) to the UNFCCC in November and December 2011. It analyzes the geopolitical challenges of the climate negotiations, South Africa's efforts to coordinate a common African voice, its participation in the BASIC alliance, and the necessity of aligning its domestic climate policies with its international leadership ambitions.

The 'Jeug GIDS VIR NOODGEREEDHEID' is a guide developed by children and young people aged 13-25 across South Africa, in partnership between UNICEF and Youth@SAIIA. It provides a foundation for young citizens to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies, focusing on building social resilience and community capacity rather than professional first-responder training.

This research paper examines the potential for establishing a Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) hybrid Centre of Specialisation (CoS) to support South Africa's Green Hydrogen Economy (GHE). It analyzes systemic failures in the current vocational skills development system—including declining enrolments, poor throughput rates, and a disconnect between curricula and industry needs—and evaluates the existing CoS model and pilot programs (Bambili and NBI) to provide recommendations for a demand-led, flexible skills strategy for the green transition.

This research paper argues for the formalization of common accounting rules for Annex I Parties and a clarification process for non-Annex I Parties' nationally appropriate mitigation actions (NAMAs). It highlights that current pledges often lack essential details on sectors, gases, and methodologies, which prevents accurate tracking of global progress toward temperature limits. The author recommends that these processes be formalized during COP17 in Durban, South Africa.

This fact sheet describes the Northern Drakensberg Collaborative (NDC), a multistakeholder partnership formalised in May 2023 to improve the stewardship of water and natural resources in the Northern Drakensberg Strategic Water Source Area. The NDC focuses on addressing water insecurity, unequal water access, food security, and climate change resilience in a region critical for water supply to multiple South African provinces.

This document outlines 'Impact Goal 1' of the WWF South Africa Strategy 2030, which aims to reshape land and seascapes by integrating people as primary custodians of nature. The strategy focuses on four priority geographic areas aligned with Mega Living Landscapes (MLLs) and Strategic Water Source Areas (SWSAs), utilizing four interlinked pathways: biodiversity stewardship, livelihood enhancement, economic transition, and financial mobilization.

A guide by WWF South Africa providing sustainable travel, shopping, and dining tips for holidaymakers visiting South Africa, including recommendations for sustainable seafood and conservation-focused wine farms.