South African eco-justice activists joined the global movement Power Up for Climate Solutions to kick off a month (from 3 November to 9 December) of environmental and climate action in the lead up to COP28 outside Parliament on Friday. The Green Connection, African Climate Alliance, Extinction Rebellion, 350.org, and Project 90 by 2030 joined others around the world in a … [Read more...]
SA president opposes legally binding energy planning
Following a recent court application (brought in January 2023 ahead of the President's SONA speech) by The Green Connection and the Southern African Faith Communities' Environment Institute (SAFCEI) – to review the President's failure or refusal to bring Section 6 of National Energy Act, 2008 (NEA) into operation – both President Cyril Ramaphosa and Minister Gwede Mantashe have … [Read more...]
Home solar the quickest solution to SA energy crisis
Home solar is still South Africa's most reasonable short-term solution to the growing energy crisis, notes solar expert Rein Snoeck Henkemans. Of the five key interventions outlined by President Cyril Ramaphosa during his 2023 State of the Nation Address (SONA), home and business solar generation is the only immediately available, feasible, and inexpensive option relative to … [Read more...]
Inclusive energy plan needed to deal with crisis
Three weeks into the New Year and South Africa’s energy crisis – the recent announcement of yet another above-inflation electricity price increase amid increased and persistent load shedding – has plunged the country into chaos. And while there is a strong call to sue the government and Eskom for load shedding, two civil society organisations are instead going straight to … [Read more...]
A Framework for a Just Transition in South Africa
South Africa is in a part of the world that is severely impacted by climate variability. The country frequently experiences droughts, floods, and other extreme weather events, with evidence that the frequency and intensity of such events are increasing because of climate change (IPCC 2022). These events have already caused enormous damage to infrastructure, ecosystems, … [Read more...]
Intervention needed in Kwazulu-Natal rhino poaching case
In the lead-up to World Rhino Day on 22 September, Saving the Wild, in partnership with the Djimon Hounsou Foundation, make an urgent plea for South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, to acknowledge the serious allegations of bribery against suspended Kwazulu-Natal court president Eric Nzimande, who has been receiving his full salary of around 1.4 million Zar annually since … [Read more...]
Oil and gas exploration threatens coastal livelihoods
Following President Ramaphosa’s Youth Day speech last week – which mostly focused on the unprecedented high unemployment rate and lack of opportunities – young small-scale fishers, along the coast, say they are concerned that government does not recognise their value as South Africans who are self-employed and trying to create sustainable livelihoods for themselves and their … [Read more...]
It’s time to uproot the DMRE
Solutions to South Africa’s crippling energy and climate crisis exist. Yet they are being blocked by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) under the leadership of Minister Gwede Mantashe. Mantashe’s DMRE is holding back a rapid and just transition to renewable energy - the fastest, most affordable way to solve load shedding. Instead, they are working to lock … [Read more...]
SA youth say, “It is time to put Mother Earth on a carbon diet”
Barely two weeks after the Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) visited KwaZulu-Natal to engage communities on climate change and the just transition, the province was hit with the worst floods we have ever seen. No longer merely environmental activist rhetoric, the floods are just more evidence that climate change is real and has devastating impacts, especially for … [Read more...]
President Ramaphosa eases restrictions on renewable energy
Yesterday's announcement by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa that the threshold for self-generation power project licences would be lifted for projects generating up to 100MW of power is positive news for South Africa. The draft amendment to Schedule 2 of the Electricity Regulation Act (ERA), was published for comment in April 2021. It contained a self-generation … [Read more...]
Youth programme helps to grow future leaders
The WILDTRUST, through the support and commitment of Nedbank is participating in the Youth Employment Services (YES) programme. This programme aims to reduce youth unemployment levels across South Africa by providing one-year quality work-placements aimed at affording practical and meaningful work experiences for unemployed youth between the ages of 18 and 29. Following the … [Read more...]
More decisive action needed on climate change
Responding to President Cyril Ramaphosa's recent comments at the World Economic Forum's Davos Agenda, Greenpeace Africa's Climate and Energy Campaign Manager Happy Khambule has said: "The President of South Africa and Chair of the African Union is peddling 20th century solutions to 21st century problems. The President missed an opportunity to rise to the challenges of … [Read more...]
Positioning South Africa for a green recovery
Following the devastating impact which the Covid-19 pandemic has had on South Africa and the world, governments, corporates, and citizens collaborate to focus on a green economic recovery. This is a result of the pandemic being inextricably intertwined with global environmental issues such as biodiversity loss, climate change, air and water pollution. The South African … [Read more...]
