Ungenaphi? Where to from here?
What use is talking about carbon credits when people don't have clean water? How do we talk about renewable energy when people are still freezing in informal settlements? And honestly? The world's a mess. From Palestine to Gaza, Sudan to Somalia, Ukraine to China and from and from and from. We just did not get it right.
AS AN ENVIRONMENTAL scientist the preface of my write is centred around environmental concerns and climate change. However, as broad and overwhelming as those may seem, they can also feel disconnected from the everyday struggles we face in South Africa.
For us, it has to address inequality, poverty and historic injustices while doing so. It must recognise that corruption and failing service delivery are not side issues. This means it tackles the lack of basic services such as water, sanitation and healthcare. And it does this while recognising that corruption undermines any chance of a just transition, because public funds are meant to serve communities and meet people's most basic needs.
Capitalism and many other "ism's" has flipped us all right over haven't they? South Africa exists as a developing country forwarding the African continent in policy and discourse pursuing a deep, just transition. But what does that even mean when you're living here? It can not only be about pursuing renewable energy with all the technical aspects around wind, solar and hydropower.
So a deep transition isn't just a buzz word. It can't be. And it's not just for supporting green technology. It is there to address the root causes and work from bottom up with the people. Because how can you green the economy while communities burn down to keep warm? And we've seen it - people freezing in winter because of poor housing infrastructure. Families illegally connecting electricity just to cook, then turning to gas or fires, which lead to blazes that destroy entire settlements. People losing all they have. People losing their lives.
Those injured hoping for some sort of relief at a local clinic or hospital, praying for staff that would be available to assist them upon arrival or to even access medicine that could be provided to numb out the fact that they just lost everything, never mind the physical wounds they carry. My words fail me when I think of our healthcare system. I, personally, am terribly afraid to step foot in government hospitals, the stories heard are always painful to the ears.
But we have a Constitution, don't we?
It says:
'Everyone has the right to have access to adequate housing.'
'Everyone has the right to sufficient food and water.'
'Everyone has the right to an environment that is not harmful to their health or well-being.'
Yet we still have people living without safe homes. Without clean water. Without access to a clinic unless they take three taxis and pray there's staff.
So we ask again: Ungenaphi? Where to from here?
When I did my honours, I looked at small-scale fisheries - and the gap between what's written in policy and what actually happens on the ground is wild. And this is not just one policy. The gap is everywhere. It's no surprise young people feel frustrated. We see through the big talk. We have been disillusioned.
As a young person living in this country, I say a deep just transition isn't just a buzzword. It's not a checklist. It's a call to completely reimagine how we serve people - and who gets left behind when we don't. It starts from the bottom up, not from boardroom deals. It starts with holding municipalities accountable. It starts with us demanding what we're owed - not as favours, but as rights.
We're not asking for miracles. We're asking for the basics. We're asking for what's already been promised.
'The people shall govern.'
The Constitution isn't just a document - it's a promise. We have the tools. Now we need courage.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
4 minutes ago
- IOL News
KwaDukuza Municipality 'rudderless', calls for Section 154 intervention grows
Opposition parties call for Section 154 in the embattled KwaDukuza Municipality. Image: Facebook Opposition parties in the embattled KwaDukuza Local Municipality have called on the provincial government to place the municipality under Section 154 as the ANC struggled to replace its fired mayor. According to a parliamentary document, Section 154 obligates national and provincial governments to strengthen municipal capacity, ensuring that municipalities can manage their affairs, exercise their powers, and fulfil their functions effectively. This support may take the form of legislative measures, financial assistance, and technical guidance, all aimed at enhancing local governance and ensuring sustainable municipal operations. The municipality has been without a political head since the resignation of mayor Ali Ngidi and his deputy Njabulo Cele two weeks ago. Attempts to elect a new mayor failed two weeks ago following an apparent revolt by ANC councilors who were said to be unhappy with the party's decision to bring back two former mayors Sduduzo Gumede and Lindiwe Nhaca as the new mayor and deputy mayor respectively. The meeting was cancelled at the last minute and the ANC said it was because of Luthuli House's intervention after the mother body reminded the provincial structure about interviews which first had to be conducted by the team of the National Working Committee. However, sources within the municipality said the meeting was cancelled after the ANC leadership learned that there were 10 councillors who were going to boycott the meeting and this would have given the opposition an opportunity to take over. ActionSA councillor Halalalisani Ndlovu said his party had already written to KwaZulu-Natal Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs' MEC, Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi, to send a Section 154 team to take over, especially the financial administration of the municipality. Ndlovu said that his party's concerns stemmed from the fact that the finance committee has not met for two months because of uncertainty created by the ANC's dismissal of the mayor and his deputy. He stated that there were committee meetings that had to be cancelled because the mayor, as the chairperson, was not there. Ndlovu further stated that the last committee meeting was held in June, during which the agenda from May was still being considered. Since then, there have been no meetings to address matters for June or July. He said on July 25 — the day on which a meeting was again scheduled - it was postponed without explanation. 'The next meeting, according to the official calendar, is only set for 20 August. This means three consecutive months of committee inaction on key governance, budget and performance issues. 'In terms of Section 154 of the Constitution, I hereby request that your office urgently asses the governance and administrative functioning of the Finance Committee and provides appropriate support to restore its operations. "Furthermore, in light of the municipality's failure to fulfil its executive obligations, I ask that your department considers whether a Section 139(1)(b) (provincial) intervention may be warranted, should these issues persist unresolved," said Ndlovu. Weighing in on the matter, DA caucus leader Privi Makhan said the municipality was now a rudderless ship that cannot deliver for the people because the ANC is no longer capable of leading it. 'The DA reiterates our call to all opposition parties, if we are truly serious about rescuing this municipality, we must act together now,' said Makhan.
Eyewitness News
2 hours ago
- Eyewitness News
COPE appoints Loate as interim leader after Lekota steps back to focus on his health
Alpha Ramushwana 10 August 2025 | 14:02 Congress of the People (COPE) Mosiuoa Lekota FILE: COPE leadership at a media briefing. Picture: Thabiso Goba/EWN JOHANNESBURG - The Congress of the People (COPE) has appointed Teboho Loate as its interim leader after the party's president, Mosiuoa Lekota, stepped back from politics to focus on his health. The party confirmed that Lekota has been unwell, as he continues to battle an undisclosed illness. Loate has been appointed to lead the party until its next elective conference, scheduled to take place in December. Loate said he would now focus on rebuilding the organisation. "This appointment marks the start of a new leadership phase for COPE, one that builds on our founding values while responding to the urgent needs of the country today. Since 2008, COPE has stood for non-racialism, non-sexism, respect for the Constitution, clean government, and the direct election of leaders. These values are even more important now, as our politics have become full of corruption, empty promises, and leaders who put themselves before the people. COPE rejects this kind of politics."
IOL News
2 hours ago
- IOL News
Trump using Africa as ‘dumping ground' for convicts
A controversial Trump-era US deal to deport five convicted criminals to eSwatini has sparked outrage in the kingdom and fears that, once released, the offenders may cross into South Africa. Image: X Donald Trump and his US administration are facing significant criticism over what has been called a 'third country' scheme to send criminals to Africa. Activists, analysts, and human rights organisations are concerned about the security dangers that the deportation of hardened convicts could pose to Swaziland itself and the Southern Region. The mountainous Southern African kingdom borders South Africa and Mozambique. Without sharing their names, Washington, through its Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, Tricia McLaughlin, last month confirmed the five convicted nationals were from Vietnam, Jamaica, Laos, Cuba and Yemen. Kelly Stone, Senior Consultant, Justice and Violence Prevention at the Institute for Security Studies, highlighted that these actions appear to be focused on identifying more authoritarian leadership styles and exploiting the desperation or instability of certain countries. She suggested that the primary security challenge lies in the potential destabilisation of Eswatini's national stability and its relationship with South Africa, rather than the immediate threat posed by the five individuals. Although Stone stated there is likely no legal recourse for South Africa as a third party regarding the deal between Eswatini and the US, she emphasised South Africa's obligation to closely monitor the security implications given its bordering relationship with Eswatini. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading She suggested that Trump's transactional approach to governance might be setting up African countries to compete for US favour, potentially disrupting regional relations through varied import tariff rates. What does Eswatini gain from accepting these criminals, noting the undisclosed nature of the deal? Stone confirmed that the terms are secret and assumed that, similar to El Salvador, the benefits could be financial and political, such as White House visits or endorsements for ruling parties. She stated that it is not a capacity issue, as the US has sufficient resources to incarcerate these individuals, but rather a fulfilment of a campaign promise by the Trump administration to expel violent foreign criminals. Stone suggested that Trump's actions are driven by a campaign promise to "make America great again" by removing foreign nationals convicted of crimes, as they believe that porous borders have led to such individuals being in the US, adding that Trump is not interested in international humanitarian law or US obligations under it. ''What we're seeing is that he's particularly targeting countries that have more authoritarian leadership. Rwanda has held up its hand and said it's willing to take 250 deportees. We know that the human rights abuses and repression in Rwanda are very well documented. He's not going to places like South Africa, Botswana, Kenya, that are much more robust in their human rights architecture.'' Wandile Dludlu, a pro-democracy activist and deputy president of Eswatini's largest opposition movement, the People's United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), recently stated to Al Jazeera: 'The US government views us as a criminal dumpsite and undermines the Emaswati [the people of Eswatini].' Dludu criticised the release of convicted criminals as "distasteful and fraudulent behaviour by His Majesty and his government amid the unprecedented public healthcare crisis" in the country. PUDEMO is a banned organisation in Eswatini. On its X account, the government of Eswatini maintained: "As a responsible member of the global community, the Kingdom of Eswatini adheres to international agreements and diplomatic protocols regarding the repatriation of individuals, ensuring that due process and respect for human rights is (sic) followed." Political analyst, Anda Mbikwana, also weighed in on the matter, saying it represents a troubling law in immigration policy that exposes both strategic shortsightedness and moral contradictions. ''This 'third-country' deportation" programme sends individuals from various countries to cash-strapped African nations, essentially paying them to warehouse criminals that America claims it cannot manage despite its vast resources and extensive prison system. The arrangement smacks of neocolonial exploitation, with wealthy America exporting its problems to impoverished Africa. ''The irony is particularly stark given America's simultaneous efforts to attract Africa's brightest minds. While actively recruiting the continent's doctors, engineers, and entrepreneurs — contributing to devastating brain drain — America now dumps its most problematic residents on African soil. This treats Africa as both a talent mine and a human waste repository. ''Beyond geopolitical implications lie serious human rights concerns. Reports indicate these individuals face solitary confinement for undetermined periods, conditions that international organisations classify as torture when prolonged. If America believes in rehabilitation and human dignity, shipping problems abroad while importing talent represents the ultimate rejection of these principles.'' Mbikwana added that this deportation policy creates dangerous precedents. ''The approach externalises costs while abandoning responsibility, undermining America's moral authority to criticise other nations' treatment of migrants. This is not confident superpower behaviour but a nation unwilling to face its challenges,'' he concluded. Refugee deportation has been an ongoing issue. According to Reuters, the UK had explored third-country deportation policies as part of its efforts to manage irregular migration and asylum claims. Under the previous Conservative government, the UK partnered with Rwanda in 2022, planning to relocate asylum seekers to Rwanda for processing. The UK committed £370 million ($497 million) in development funding over five years in exchange for this arrangement. In November 2023, the UK Supreme Court declared the plan invalid, citing violations of international human rights norms due to Rwanda's inadequate asylum system and concerns regarding human rights. Similarly, Israel had implemented a third-country deportation policy targeting African asylum seekers by sending them to countries like Rwanda and Uganda from 2013 to 2018. The Israeli government offered $3,500 per person to those who agreed to leave.
