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This policy brief by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes potential electoral outcomes and political scenarios for South Africa for the period 2014 to 2029. It explores four primary pathways—'Bafana Bafana', 'The Future is ANC', 'The Rise of Multiparty Democracy', and 'A Nation Divided'—evaluating how factors such as ANC leadership, trade union splits (specifically NUMSA and COSATU), and youth voter apathy influence economic growth and poverty levels.

This 2014 Market Intelligence Report by GreenCape analyzes the energy efficiency sector in South Africa, focusing on standards, legislation, financial incentives, and specific markets including solar water heaters, energy-saving lighting, and embedded generation.

The National Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Report 2014-15 provides a comprehensive overview of the activities of South Africa's Environmental Management Inspectorate (EMI), known as the 'Green Scorpions'. The report details the growth of EMI capacity, national compliance and enforcement statistics, legislative developments, and specific operational outcomes across the 'green' (biodiversity), 'brown' (pollution and waste), and 'blue' (marine and coastal) sectors. It highlights a significant increase in the number of designated inspectors and a focus on high-risk areas such as rhino poaching and industrial pollution.

The 2014 Blue Drop Report evaluates the performance of 1,036 drinking water supply systems across South Africa's Water Services Authorities (WSAs) for the 2013 calendar year. While microbiological compliance is high, the national average Blue Drop score declined from 87.6% in 2012 to 79.6% in 2014, and the number of systems achieving Blue Drop certification dropped from 98 to 44. The report highlights critical needs for improvement in chemical compliance, water use efficiency, and asset management across various provinces.

The 2014 Green Drop Progress Report, published by GreenCape, provides a national overview of wastewater treatment performance in South Africa. It utilizes the Progress Assessment Tool (PAT) to track the Cumulative Risk Rating (CRR) of municipal, public, and private wastewater treatment plants, highlighting a general trend of increasing risk across the sector between 2013 and 2014.

A joint submission by five environmental organisations to the Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources regarding the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Amendment Bill [B15-2013]. The submission argues that the Bill and the principal Act fail to protect constitutional rights to fair administrative action and access to information for parties affected by mining.

The 2012 State of the Nation Address by President Jacob G Zuma outlines a 'massive infrastructure development drive' designed to combat the 'triple challenge' of unemployment, poverty, and inequality in South Africa. The address details strategic investments in transport, mining, and social infrastructure, while reporting on progress in job creation, education, and land reform.

This research paper by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) maps the investment landscape of South Africa as of January 2012. It examines the impact of the global economic crisis on foreign direct investment (FDI), analyzes the government's industrial policies such as the New Growth Path (NGP), and provides a detailed catalogue of financial and fiscal incentives designed to attract investment and create jobs. The document also includes survey results from provincial investment promotion agencies (IPAs) regarding the effectiveness and awareness of these incentive schemes.

The National Environmental Compliance & Enforcement Report 2011-12 provides a comprehensive overview of the activities of the Environmental Management Inspectorate (EMI) in South Africa. It details a significant increase in EMI capacity, particularly Grade 5 field rangers, and tracks national statistics on criminal and administrative enforcement. The report highlights a rise in section 24G administrative fines and a focus on proactive industrial compliance, while also documenting the ongoing crisis of rhino poaching and the illegal trade in cycads. It further outlines specific court cases, legislative developments, and capacity-building efforts for inspectors and prosecutors.

Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson's 2011 budget speech for the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) outlines a 4.719 billion rand budget focused on poverty alleviation, job creation, and the sustainable management of natural resources in South Africa.

The National Environmental Compliance & Enforcement Report 2009-10 provides a comprehensive overview of environmental law enforcement activities in South Africa from April 1, 2009, to March 31, 2010. It details the growth of the Environmental Management Inspectorate (EMI), national statistics on criminal and administrative enforcement, and specific case studies regarding industrial pollution and biodiversity crimes, particularly rhino poaching.

This research paper analyzes the dynamics of the six most common crimes in South Africa—housebreaking, property theft, theft from vehicles, robbery, assault, and corruption—using data from victim surveys conducted in 1998, 2003, and 2007. Key findings indicate a trend of crimes increasingly occurring within residential areas and homes, particularly housebreakings and assaults. While weapon use in assaults has declined, it has increased in robberies. Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal are identified as the provinces with the highest crime levels, while the Northern Cape has the lowest. The paper highlights a high level of familiarity between victims and perpetrators and notes a permissive societal attitude toward 'minor' corruption, such as paying bribes for traffic fines.

This research paper examines the failure of service delivery in South Africa, specifically focusing on riots in the Free State province triggered by the 'bucket system' of sanitation. It argues that increasing financial resources is insufficient to alleviate poverty if the government lacks the administrative capacity, skilled personnel, and accountability mechanisms to implement projects.

This report analyzes public opinion surveys from Idasa and Afrobarometer conducted in South Africa since 1994 to compare citizen experiences of crime and policing against official statistics. While public perceptions of overall safety and government performance in fighting crime have improved since 2000, trust in the South African Police Service (SAPS) is undermined by high perceived and actual levels of corruption and poor user-friendliness.

This 2006 report by the Institute for Security Studies and the Restorative Justice Centre documents the state of restorative justice (RJ) practice in South Africa. It maps over sixty projects across various sectors—including probation services, correctional services, civil society, and traditional leadership—to evaluate the scope and quality of services provided to victims and offenders. The authors argue that RJ should be viewed as a philosophy and approach rather than a specific programme, and they advocate for its 'mainstreaming' within the criminal justice system through a partnership where civil society leads direct service delivery while the state acts as an enabler, resourcer, and guarantor of quality.

This report assesses the rural safety capacity lost by the phasing out of the South African National Defence Force’s (SANDF) Territorial Reserve, known as the Commandos, and evaluates the South African Police Service's (SAPS) ability to replace these functions. Through fieldwork in the Free State, Eastern Cape, and Gauteng, the author argues that while Commandos primarily protected the interests of the rural middle class and could be socially destructive if deployed inappropriately, they provided a critical force-multiplication capacity for policing agricultural crimes. The report concludes that the transition to SAPS is likely to result in a deterioration of rural policing because SAPS organizational incentives and national performance targets prioritize urban 'contact crimes' over rural property crimes.

This research paper by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes the South African Police Service (SAPS) crime statistics for the 2003/04 financial year. It reports a general decrease in most serious crimes, including murder and residential burglary, while highlighting a concerning increase in aggravated robbery. The authors note a disconnect between improving statistical trends and the high levels of fear felt by the South African public.

This report from the Institute for Security Studies provides a comprehensive analysis of South African crime statistics for the 2003/04 financial year, alongside thematic studies on the implementation of the Domestic Violence Act, the 2005 firearms amnesty, and the nature of gang rape in inner-city Johannesburg.

The 2003 National Victims of Crime Survey in South Africa, conducted by the Institute for Security Studies, provides a comprehensive analysis of crime levels, public perceptions of safety, and the performance of the criminal justice system. The survey indicates a slight decline in overall victimisation rates compared to 1998, though housebreaking increased. It highlights a significant gap between public perceptions—which often overestimate the prevalence of violent crime—and the reality of non-violent property crime. The report also documents widespread petty corruption, declining feelings of safety, and a reliance on state protection despite mixed views on police and court performance.

This December 2003 issue of Crime Quarterly, published by the Institute for Security Studies, provides a multi-faceted analysis of crime trends and policing strategies in South Africa. It examines 2002/3 crime statistics, the investigation of farm attacks, the implementation of sector policing, the rise of gated communities via private security, social crime prevention, judicial processes for firearm unfitness, and the emergence of methamphetamine on the Cape Flats.