Volume 6
Dear Friends
As I prepared for a series of conversations at London Climate Action Week, I found myself returning to a simple question: what does it actually take for South Africa’s energy transition to hold?
Not simply in the sense of being technically implemented, but in the deeper sense of being socially supported, politically legitimate, and trusted by the people whose lives it will reshape.
Too often, the frameworks, investment decisions, and policies that will define South Africa’s transition remain out of public view. Yet the communities expected to live with these decisions are often the last to understand them, influence them, or see their benefits take shape. A transition that people cannot see, cannot name, and cannot influence will struggle to earn the trust it needs to succeed.
For us, this is where the real work lies: building authentic social support for a socially inclusive, ecologically sustainable economy powered by renewable energy.
I often return to that word, authentic, because it does most of the heavy lifting.
Authentic social support emerges when people have what they need to engage with the transition on their own terms: the information to understand it, the voice to describe their own experience, access to the institutions shaping it, and the ability to see its benefits accumulate in meaningful ways over time. These are the foundations of public trust.
One of the encouraging aspects of this year’s London Climate Action Week was seeing these questions move closer to the centre of global climate conversations. Whether discussing climate finance, public participation, or community storytelling, there was growing recognition that the success of the transition depends not only on policy and investment, but on building the democratic infrastructure that enables trust, accountability and participation.
As you’ll see throughout this edition, these ideas continue to shape our work and that of our partners, from strengthening public-interest journalism and community media to supporting research, dialogue and storytelling that helps make South Africa’s transition more visible, more accountable and, ultimately, more inclusive.
I hope you enjoy this edition.
Sekoetlane Phamodi
Updates
LAUNCH | Podcast series amplifies community conversations on the economy
Last year, we launched the Economy is Care dialogue campaign comprising a 5-part live-event series hosted in Johannesburg. We continued the campaign with a radio dialogue series partnering with 5 radio stations in 5 provinces to bring expert voices and listener perspectives together to explore debt, taxation, public spending, care work, economic power and what a people-centred economy could look like in 5 languages. Today, we are thrilled to present the Economy is Care: Community Voices from South Africa podcast. This first edition is a capsule collection of the issues that were discussed and priorities which emerged in the radio campaign and is available in isiZulu, isiXhosa, Sesotho, Setswana and Tshivenda. We hope it serves as a durable resource for these conversations to continue beyond the airwaves and remain accessible to anyone interested in working with communities to rethink and organise for a new economy in South Africa.
OPINION | Coal’s hidden cost: How mining is draining Mpumalanga’s water
In a recent News24 opinion piece, NEH Advocacy and Networks Lead Kearabetswe Moopelo highlights the often-overlooked link between coal mining and water security in Mpumalanga. The article argues that protecting water resources must be central to delivering a just transition in South Africa, underscoring the need for more integrated approaches to energy, water, and environmental governance.
Strengthening Public Accountability
We participated in the African Citizens Watch Platform Improvement Workshop convened by ACT Ubumbano, where civil society organisations and researchers explored ways to strengthen public accountability by improving how government commitments are tracked and communicated. Discussions highlighted the need to make accountability information more accessible through plain-language communication, citizen-centred storytelling, and stronger collaboration with community-based organisations. The workshop reinforced the importance of using data not only to monitor government performance but also to support more informed civic participation and collective action.
Enhancing Climate Finance Accountability
We participated in the European Union’s Enhancing Accountability Programme Technical Assistance Facility, a platform that supports civil society organisations to strengthen accountability and governance. Hosted in partnership with Corruption Watch, the engagement explored opportunities for improving transparency and oversight in climate finance governance. The session highlighted emerging opportunities for collaboration on climate finance oversight and featured the launch of Corruption Watch’s Climate Governance Integrity podcast series, which uses storytelling to raise public awareness of integrity, transparency, and accountability challenges in climate governance.
Advancing Locally Led Climate Adaptation
We participated in a learning exchange hosted by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) in Bangkok, Thailand, which brought together civil society organisations, funders, intermediary organisations, researchers, and academics to explore how evidence for locally led climate adaptation can be built and strengthened. Discussions focused on improving the measurement of adaptation outcomes, ensuring that community knowledge informs decision-making, and identifying practical ways to shift resources and power towards locally led solutions.
Africa Climate Academy: Strengthening Climate Governance
In May 2026, we participated in the third cohort of the Africa Climate Academy in Ghana, one of the continent’s leading climate governance training programmes delivered by the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP). The Academy brings together established and emerging climate leaders to explore climate governance, political economy, climate finance, climate negotiations, and the institutions that shape climate policy across Africa. As climate challenges become increasingly complex, programmes like the Africa Climate Academy are essential for strengthening African leadership, fostering collaboration, and building the knowledge and networks needed to shape effective, locally informed climate policy across the continent.
Events
WEBINAR | People’s Power: Reimagining South Africa’s energy future
In partnership with Wethe99 and WWF South Africa, the New Economy Hub will host the South African Power Dialogue, exploring the Illustrative People’s Energy Plan (IPEP), a community-led vision for a more democratic, inclusive and accountable energy system. As South Africa develops a new Integrated Energy Plan and Energy White Paper, the dialogue will bring together experts and community voices to discuss how public participation can help shape the country’s energy future.
Partners in Action
Community storytelling takes centre stage at London Climate Action Week
What does it take for communities to shape, not simply respond to, the just transition? At London Climate Action Week, Radio Workshop and partners convened funders, storytellers and community leaders to explore how long-term investment in narrative infrastructure can build public understanding, strengthen democratic participation, and shift power. The conversation followed Radio Workshop’s selection for the 2026 Tribeca Festival, highlighting growing international recognition that stories are not simply communication tools, they are critical infrastructure for social change.
Building a New Generation of Climate Storytellers
Fossil Free South Africa’s Climate Media Lab is equipping journalists and content creators with the knowledge and skills to report more effectively on climate issues through mentorship, expert-led seminars, and practical resources. The programme currently supports 17 journalists and content creators covering energy, policy, food, lifestyle, and community news, helping to strengthen climate literacy across diverse beats. Participants also draw on the newly launched Climate Reporting Guide for South African Media to produce informed, solutions-focused reporting on the climate crisis and its social and economic dimensions.
Breaking Down Silos to Drive Systems Change at London Climate Action Week
As climate, economic, and social challenges become increasingly interconnected, the need for systems thinking and cross-sector collaboration has never been greater. At the Global Commons Alliance session, Bigger than Silo Strategy: Practical Tools and Strategies to Bust Silos and Unlock Systems Approaches, leaders from philanthropy, academia, government, civil society and research explored practical ways to break down institutional silos and work more effectively across disciplines. The New Economy Hub’s Sekoetlane Phamodi joined the panel, contributing perspectives on building the culture and partnerships needed to drive systems change. The discussion highlighted that fragmented approaches and single-issue funding often fail to address the complexity of today’s challenges. Panellists reflected on the importance of communicating evidence in ways that inspire action, reimagining economic systems that prioritise wellbeing, and building a culture of collaboration that enables lasting systems change. The conversation reinforced that addressing complex global challenges will require collective leadership, stronger partnerships and new ways of working that recognise the interconnected nature of climate, development and economic transformation.
Advancing Africa’s Just Transition at London Climate Action Week
The African Climate Foundation’s Country Exchange: What does it actually take to deliver Africa’s energy transition? held during London Climate Action Week, it brought together practitioners, investors, philanthropies and policymakers to share lessons from the frontlines of Africa’s just energy transition. Drawing on experiences from South Africa, Nigeria, Senegal and Ethiopia, discussions explored how countries can translate climate commitments into locally led action, strengthen institutions, and mobilise finance for a just and resilient energy transition. Sekoetlane Phamodi joined South Africa’s panel to reflect on what will be required to sustain the country’s transition. The discussion highlighted that ambitious climate action depends not only on technical and financial solutions but also on meaningful public participation, accountability, and broad social ownership. Building this social legitimacy is essential to maintaining momentum for decarbonisation and strengthening resilience to global shocks, while ensuring the transition delivers lasting economic and social benefits.
Power Moves
Beyond GDP: Rethinking How We Measure Progress
A major global shift is now underway. The United Nations High-Level Expert Group on Beyond GDP has released its landmark report, Counting What Counts: A Compass of Progress for People and Planet, proposing a new global framework that complements GDP with measures of wellbeing, equity, inclusion, and sustainability. As governments prepare for the next phase of global economic reform, these measures could reshape how countries evaluate progress, moving beyond economic growth alone to include wellbeing, resilience and environmental sustainability. The shift closely aligns with NEH’s work on advancing people-centred approaches to economic policy. In our Beyond GDP policy digest, we explored why new measures of progress matter for South Africa.
Climate Finance moves from Promises to Delivery
At London Climate Action Week, global leaders, development banks, investors and civil society focused on one central question: how to accelerate climate finance for developing countries. Discussions centred on reforming multilateral development banks, lowering the cost of capital, scaling investment in adaptation and resilience, and ensuring that climate finance reaches the communities most affected by climate change. With COP31 on the horizon, the week reinforced growing calls to transform the global financial system so it can better support a just and equitable transition. These discussions reinforce growing momentum behind reforming the international financial architecture so that climate finance becomes more accessible, affordable and responsive to the priorities of developing economies.
City of Johannesburg Secures the Climate Finance We’ve All Been Calling For
Johannesburg has landed a R3.8 billion loan from KfW, Germany’s development bank, to upgrade City Power’s ageing electrical infrastructure. What makes this significant is not just the size, it’s the terms. The loan is highly concessional, Rand-denominated, and climate-tagged, with provisions to bring new renewable energy installations into the mix. This is a meaningful signal that international finance is beginning to meet South Africa on our own terms. The real test, however, lies ahead: how this money is governed and deployed will determine whether the promise translates into lasting impact and reshapes the terms of climate finance for South Africa and the continent.
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