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- Janet Wilhelm
Ailing state companies have bigger flaws than just graft
Business Day - 14 August 2018 by Neva Makgetla (TIPS Senior Economist)
Or read as a PDF.
RESPONSE TO COLUMN
Letter in Business Day - 16 August 2018: SOEs are soft targets for columnists and commentators - Vusi Mona SA National Roads Agency
Development dialogue: Water and industrial development - hosted by TIPS and GEC
TIPS and the Green Economy Coalition (GEC) hosted a Development Dialogue on Water and Industrial Development. For more information and copies of the presentations go to Development Dialogue.
Water and industrial development
AGENDA
9:30 - 9:45: Opening and Welcome - Chantal Ramcharan-Kotze (WRC)
9:45 - 12:00: Presentation and discussion of research findings
Global water and sanitation market dynamics: Implications from South Africa's industrial development - Gaylor Montmasson-Clair (TIPS)
Desalination in South Africa: Panacea or peril for industrial development? - Muhammed Patel (TIPS)
Tea
Opportunities and constraints for next generation sanitation and industrial development in South Africa - Shakespear Mudombi (TIPS)
Protection and creating jobs through better water management - Mike Ward (CSV)
12:00 - 13:00 Panel discussion, facilitated by Chantal Ramcharan-Kotze (WRC)
13:00: Lunch
BACKGROUND
Water is considered the most precious and, at the same time, the most wasted natural resource. From a trade and industry perspective, water and sanitation are intertwined with technology, industrial and economicdevelopment. Water security and access to modern water and sanitation services rely on technology and industrial development, while industrial development, and more broadly, economic development, depend on water security and modern water and sanitation services. The centrality of water and sanitation drives a spectrum of activities to provide safe, affordable and modern access to water and sanitation services to all. This Development Dialogue aims to discuss the interplay between South Africa's industrial development and water management, looking at water and sanitation issues in the country as both a potential inhibitor and driver of industrial development, employment creation and sustainable development.
DOWNLOAD TIPS RESEARCH ON WATER AND SANITATION
Global water and sanitation market dynamics Implications for South Africa’s industrial development
Forward looking approach to next generation sanitation and industrial development in South Africa
Desalination in South Africa Panacea or peril for industrial development
Date: Tuesday 21 August 2018
Time: 9h30 – 13h00
Venue: TIPS Boardroom, 234 Lange St, Nieuw Muckleneuk, Pretoria
Green jobs: Essential Amathole - A case study of unlocking green jobs in the bioprospecting sector
UNLOCKING GREEN JOBS IN SOUTH AFRICA
The Unlocking Green Jobs: A Catalytic Intervention was a two-year initiative and collaboration between the World Wide Fund for Nature, South Africa (WWF-SA) and Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS). Published reports include a synthesis report, Unlocking green jobs in South Africa: A catalytic intervention, which summarises the findings and three three case studies.
The reports were produced with the financial assistance of the WWF Nedbank Green Trust and Agence Française de Développement (AFD).
The Essential Amathole case study focuses on the bioprospecting strategy, one of two components in the National Biodiversity Economy Strategy. Th bioprospecting strategy aims to grow the industry by 10% a year, off a 2014 baseline of R1.5 billion. The number of jobs to be created is not described in the strategy itself, but the aggregate target for the biodiversity economy is 300 000 jobs. This research provided a quantitative modelling that allowed more precise estimation of the total number of hectares that would need to be cleared of invasive alien plants, and planted, harvested and beneficiated through the extraction of essential oils (a highly profitable and labour-intensive strategy) to create these jobs.
Main report
Unlocking green jobs in South Africa: A catalytic intervention - synthesis report
Other case studies
Green jobs: Protecting and unlocking jobs through water stewardship - A case study linked to the Umbogintwini Industrial Complex, eThekwini
UNLOCKING GREEN JOBS IN SOUTH AFRICA
The Unlocking Green Jobs: A Catalytic Intervention was a two-year initiative and collaboration between the World Wide Fund for Nature, South Africa (WWF-SA) and Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS). Published reports include a synthesis report, Unlocking green jobs in South Africa: A catalytic intervention, which summarises the findings and three three case studies. The reports were produced with the financial assistance of the WWF Nedbank Green Trust and Agence Française de Développement.
Recent research by the United Nations on water and jobs that estimates that three out of four jobs in the global workforce are heavily or moderately dependant on water. Constrained or expensive water supply is therefore a significant threat to existing jobs. However, managing water resources may also have the potential to create jobs as the value of water increases. This review explores both the significance of jobs at risk in South Africa and the potential to protect and create jobs through water stewardship. To better understand the variables and how they may impact a particular situation a case study that linked business, government and civil society was identified and examined. This case study is located within the Mbokodweni catchment in the southern part of the eThekwini Metro in KwaZulu-Natal. It explores the interaction between a number of community groups involved in water catchment management (and other socio-ecological initiatives).
Main report
Unlocking green jobs in South Africa: A catalytic intervention - synthesis report
Other case studies
Essential Amathole: A case study of unlocking green jobs in the bioprospecting sector
Green jobs: Unlocking and retaining jobs in the alien vegetation added value chain through industrial symbiosis - Case study on wood pellets
UNLOCKING GREEN JOBS IN SOUTH AFRICA
The Unlocking Green Jobs: A Catalytic Intervention was a two-year initiative and collaboration between the World Wide Fund for Nature, South Africa (WWF-SA) and Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS). Published reports include a synthesis report, Unlocking green jobs in South Africa: A catalytic intervention, which summarises the findings and three three case studies. The reports were produced with the financial assistance of the WWF Nedbank Green Trust and Agence Française de Développement (AFD).
Invasive alien plants are a serious environmental challenge in South Africa, impacting on biodiversity and water supply. A set of national strategies for clearing these and beneficiating the biomass have been implemented over the past decade, with mixed success in job creation, enterprise development and poverty alleviation. This case study explores the reasons for success and failure. In particular, the case study highlights the potential to create jobs in relation to wood-pelleting and eco-matting, and suggests there are wider social arguments that should be taken into consideration when evaluating policy options for the beneficiation of alien biomass.
Unlocking green jobs in South Africa: A catalytic intervention - synthesis report
Other case studies
Essential Amathole: A case study of unlocking green jobs in the bioprospecting sector
Sustainability Transitions in South Africa
Sustainability Transitions in South Africa - Edited by Najma Mohamed
TIPS collaborates on book investigating South Africa’s progress in transitioning to a just and sustainable development pathway
South Africa’s progress in transitioning to a low-carbon, resource-efficient and pro-employment development path is the focus of a book that brings together the experience and insights of leading thinkers on sustainable development in the country.
The book, Sustainability Transitions in South Africa, was edited by Climate, Sustainability and Environmental Specialist Dr Najma Mohamed and includes contributions from a range of South African and other experts including TIPS Senior Economist: Sustainable Growth Gaylor Montmasson-Clair. The book highlights that, while South Africa has committed itself to the transition to a green economy, as reflected in the enactment of numerous policies, the process remain socially exclusive.
The contributors to the book reflect a commitment towards environmental and social justice and, as such, investigate the extent to which justice and social inclusivity is being addressed in the design and implementation of sustainability transition pathways in South Africa.
In investigating this, the authors acknowledge that policies are in place but question whether inclusivity and just transition are a focus. They point out that a just transition has the potential to address the social ills in the country. However, what is critical is that policy alignment and implementation is promoted from a socio-economic and environmental perspective with priority given to the country’s key challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality. If there is no conscious understanding of the implications of the transition, then these issues will not be addressed.
Taking up the issue of unemployment, for example, Gaylor Montmasson-Clair explores the employment implications of the transition to a sustainable development pathway. He points out that numerous policy documents talk to the employment potential of so-called green jobs. However, a deeper understanding is needed to fully embrace the employment dynamics. He therefore calls for a multi-dimensional baseline of the sustainability employment spectrum, considering the nature of the industries in which the jobs take place, the nature of occupations, and the quality of labour conditions. This, he argues, will provide a systemic analysis of employment in sustainability transitions and thereby enable the development of targeted policies and programmes.
Overall, the various contributions to the book explore the transition to a sustainable development pathway from economic, technological, social and environmental drivers. They provide a synthesis of theoretical insights, including new models and concepts, and praxis through illustrations from South Africa’s growing landscape of green economy policies and programmes.
If you would like more information about this book, please contact Najma Mohamed at najma_mohamed@hotmail.com or n.mohamed@itcilo.org
For more information about the book, and to order copies visit:
https://www.routledge.com/Sustainability-Transitions-in-South-Africa/Mohamed/p/book/9781138727991
Inequality in South Africa
TIPS Senior Economist Neva Makgetla has a chapter on Inequality in South Africa in the New South African Review 6: The crisis of inequality.
Essays in this volume demonstrate how the consequences of inequality extend throughout society, crippling the quest for social justice, polarising the politics, skewing economic outcomes and bringing devastating environmental consequences in their wake.
To get a copy go to http://witspress.co.za/catalogue/new-south-african-review-6/
Why cutting the fuel price levy is not a simple matter
Business Day - 31 July 2018 by Neva Makgetla (TIPS Senior Economist)
Unregulated fees for state services perpetuate poverty
Business Day - 3 July 2018 by Neva Makgetla (TIPS Senior Economist)