IntroductionThis article examines how South African climate adaptation policies conceptualize and operationalise gender-responsive adaptation, with particular attention to women's vulnerability, agency, and participation in climate governance.MethodsRather than employing a systematic review, the study adopts a qualitative policy review and interpretive analysis, drawing on peer-reviewed academic literature, national legislation and policy documents, government strategies, and international normative frameworks related to gender equality, climate adaptation, and disaster risk reduction. The study conducted a review of 14 purposively chosen policy documents, such as the National Climate Change Adaptation strategy, the Climate Change Act 2024, and the National Development Plan. This review employed thematic coding, drawing on Intersectionality Theory and the Gender and Development (GAD) Approach.Results and DiscussionThe analysis reveals that while South Africa has developed comprehensive climate and development policies, gender considerations remain weakly operationalised within adaptation planning and implementation. Structural barriers, including inadequate gender mainstreaming, limited gender-responsive budgeting, fragmented institutional coordination, and insufficient political commitment, continue to constrain women's adaptive capacity. The findings demonstrate that women's empowerment is not positioned as a core pillar of climate resilience, resulting in adaptation strategies that insufficiently address intersecting vulnerabilities. The article argues that meaningful gender- responsive adaptation requires institutional reforms that embed intersectionality, strengthen women's agency in governance, and align climate action with broader socio-economic transformation goals. Policy recommendations include institutionalizing gender-responsive budgeting, enhancing participatory climate governance, and strengthening accountability mechanisms across national and local adaptation processes.

In an era of increased complexity, interdependence, uncertainty and rapidly advancing technology, the ability to identify and swiftly adapt to current and future trends is key to progressing sustainability. Intersecting drivers and stressors are converging to destabilize socioecological systems and reshape national, regional and global outlooks. The intersecting and converging crises of the 21st century have exposed the limits of planning that relies too heavily on linear extrapolations from well-known global/mega-trends. This study explores whether a limited number of emerging trends that only manifest as weak signals today serve as central conduits (super-nodes) for amplifying and accelerating systemic disruption. Using an exploratory mixed-methods design, a global Delphi survey (N = 790, 132 countries) generated 1200 horizon-scan items, inductively coded into 29 clusters. Scenario stress-testing distilled the findings into 280 candidate weak signals—ranked by likelihood, impact, and timing—from which 20 were shortlisted and mapped onto a 20 × 20 influence matrix through structured expert debate. Weighted degree centralities and a 10,000-run bootstrap test identified statistically significant hubs. Results suggest that anticipatory governance can be strengthened by prioritizing high-centrality signals and institutionalizing ongoing weak-signal scanning alongside transparent, multi-source decision-making to avoid cascading risks across planetary-health, economic, and technological systems. At the midpoint of a decade dominated by disruption–climate change, pandemic, geopolitical upheaval, widening inequality, war, misinformation and the rapid rise of Artificial Intelligence–we posit that strategic foresight and informed anticipation is a critical imperative in the pursuit of a global common good and a resilient future.

This study, a collaboration between the University of Limpopo and the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), aimed to generate baseline evidence to inform the development of an innovative performative arts intervention, designed to engage young people with scientific knowledge on substance use disorders (SUD), mental health, and behavioral risks. Using focus group discussions and key informant interviews across three communities in the Sekhukhune District, data were collected from youth, community members, and traditional governance structures. The findings reveal that generational poverty, high unemployment, and the socio-economic impacts of mining investments - particularly their role in driving school dropout rates, are central drivers of youth substance abuse. Dagga, nyaope (whoonga), and cocaine emerged as the most frequently abused substances, with consequences ranging from family breakdown and crime to the erosion of social cohesion. The study concludes that substance abuse in Sekhukhune reflects both structural inequalities and weak institutional support, underscoring a multisectoral response. Evidence highlights an urgent need for school-based prevention initiatives, safe recreational alternatives, and the active engagement of faith-based and community institutions to mitigate risks and strengthen youth resilience.

BackgroundChildren across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) face disproportionate climate vulnerability, with recent studies indicating 2–3 times higher risk exposure than adults. Despite global commitments under the Sendai Framework, Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) education remains fragmented, under-resourced, and exclusionary. Fewer SADC schools have implemented comprehensive DRR programmes, and few teachers receive relevant training.AimThis study examines systemic failures in child-centered DRR education across SADC, interrogates the gap between policy aspirations and implementation, and identifies evidence-based pathways for transformative reform.MethodsEmploying Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) as an analytical lens, we conducted a systematic literature review synthesizing peer-reviewed scholarship (2010–2024), regional policy documents, and international case studies from Cuba, Iran, and the Philippines. Comparative analysis across South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, and Madagascar examined curriculum integration, teacher capacity, infrastructure resilience, and child participation.FindingsStark implementation deficits emerged: 75% of SADC schools lack DRR-trained staff; 63% of national disaster plans omit child-specific protocols; and only 11% of schools conduct annual drillscompared to 100% in the Philippines. Language exclusion proved lethal in Madagascar; cyclone warnings in French, incomprehensible to 90% of Malagasy-speaking children, contribute to 40% higher child mortality. Yet innovation exists: Zambia's peer-led “Disaster Clubs” improved first-aid retention by 68%; Mozambique's student-designed early warning systems reduced evacuation times by 53%; and VISUS-retrofitted schools withstood Cyclone Idai at 94% integrity vs. 41% of unassessed schools.ConclusionsCurrent approaches constitute systemic child protection failure. Transformative shifts require mandatory teacher training, linguistically localised materials, child participation as co-creators, and risk-informed infrastructure investment.

Climate change remains one of the most pressing global challenges, posing significant threats to human security through its adverse effects on health, water availability, food security, and shelter. Socially and economically disadvantaged populations bear a disproportionate burden of these impacts. This study examines the health effects of drought, identifies vulnerable demographic groups, and assesses community adaptation strategies in Muyexe Village. A qualitative case study design was employed. Data were collected through eight semi-structured key informant interviews and eight focus group discussions with community members. The data were analysed using thematic content analysis, involving systematic coding, categorisation of emerging themes, and triangulation across data sources to enhance credibility and validity. The findings reveal that water scarcity compels communities to compete with wildlife for limited water resources, increasing exposure to waterborne diseases. Drought-related conditions such as cholera, malaria, hypertension, and malnutrition further undermine community resilience. Households respond by adopting various adaptation strategies, including livestock sales, seed preservation, and small-scale income-generating activities. However, government interventions remain inadequate. Strengthening local adaptation strategies and addressing underlying health vulnerabilities are essential to reducing disaster risks and enhancing long-term community resilience to climate change. (180 words).

IntroductionIndigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) have played important roles in community-based health responses across the Global South, yet they remain marginalized in formal health policy during global health crises. This study examined how IKS were mobilized to support respiratory and immune health during the COVID-19 pandemic across BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries.MethodsA qualitative exploratory research design was employed across Zimbabwe, South Africa, and China involving 38 participants. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews (n = 22), digital questionnaires (n = 10), and WhatsApp voice narratives (n = 6). Purposive and criterion-based sampling ensured representation across age, gender, geography, and familiarity with IKS. Data were analysed using Braun and Clarke’s six-phase thematic analysis with inter-rater reliability verification (Cohen’s κ = 0.82). Member checking was conducted through community advisory boards, and ethical approval was obtained from institutional review boards in each participating country.ResultsParticipants reported using 27 distinct herbal remedies, primarily derived from locally available plants, including Lippia javanica, Artemisia afra, Psidium guajava, and commonly used spices, with perceived improvements in respiratory symptoms and overall well-being. Four major themes emerged: (1) variation in institutional support, with China and India formally integrating traditional medicine while SADC countries relied largely on informal community practices; (2) differences in knowledge documentation, characterized by codified systems in China and India compared with predominantly oral transmission in SADC countries; (3) barriers to integration, including epistemic hierarchies, regulatory limitations, and policy marginalization; and (4) community resilience and adaptability despite limited formal recognition and support.DiscussionThe findings suggest that IKS can complement biomedical approaches in strengthening health system resilience during public health emergencies. Integrating IKS into pandemic preparedness and response requires policies that recognize epistemological diversity, protect intellectual property, promote equitable benefit-sharing, and strengthen community knowledge sovereignty within planetary health frameworks.

IntroductionInformal settlements in South Africa remain highly exposed to disasters despite continued disaster risk reduction (DRR) interventions. Khayelitsha—particularly the Barney Molokwane (BM) Section—is among Cape Town’s most flood- and fire-prone areas. Understanding vulnerability in such contexts requires frameworks capable of unpacking the interaction of exposure, susceptibility, and resilience. This study applies the Methods for the Improvement of Vulnerability Assessment in Europe (MOVE) framework to assess the drivers of vulnerability in BM Section and situates findings within comparable evidence from Africa, Asia, and Latin America.MethodsA mixed-methods design was employed, integrating household surveys with 125 randomly selected residents, transect walks, and systematic field observations. The MOVE framework structured the assessment across three components—exposure, susceptibility, and resilience. Quantitative and qualitative data were triangulated to capture settlement conditions, socio-economic factors, governance interactions, and everyday coping strategies.ResultsVulnerability in BM Section is shaped by intersecting socio-economic, environmental, and institutional factors. Key drivers include inadequate housing, overcrowding, unemployment, poor sanitation, and infrastructure deficits. Exposure is intensified by wetland encroachment and the dismantling of protective berms. Hazardous coping practices—such as illegal electricity connections and resistance to re-blocking—reflect governance shortcomings, mistrust, and limited access to basic services rather than community unwillingness. Comparative literature shows that while wetland encroachment is context-specific, poverty and weak institutional engagement are widespread determinants of urban informal settlement vulnerability.DiscussionThe MOVE framework effectively illuminates multidimensional vulnerability but captures cultural factors and informal social safety nets less comprehensively. Findings point to the need for participatory governance approaches, including co-developed early warning systems, community-driven drainage solutions, and livelihood support mechanisms. The study demonstrates the value of structured vulnerability assessment for informing flood-risk management and climate adaptation planning in informal settlements, contributing to progress toward SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.

IntroductionThe accelerating pace of urbanization in the 21st century has intensified the need for inclusive and resilient infrastructure development, particularly in the face of rising socio-economic inequalities and escalating disaster risks. This study explores the integration of social equity dimensions and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) principles within urban planning frameworks as a pathway toward sustainable and resilient urban futures.MethodsA qualitative research design was adopted, drawing on a triangulated methodology that includes document analysis, an extensive literature review, and selected case studies on urban planning practices. These methods were employed to interrogate current urban development paradigms and assess the extent to which equity and resilience are operationalized in planning processes.ResultsFindings indicate that, despite growing theoretical advancements in equitable and risk-sensitive urban development, significant systemic challenges remain. These include limited community participation in planning processes, persistent institutional silos, and resource constraints that hinder transformative action. The analysis further reveals that current urban governance mechanisms often lack the capacity to meaningfully integrate long-term resilience and equity considerations.DiscussionIn response to these challenges, the study recommends a paradigm shift in urban planning towards the adoption of future-oriented and participatory approaches. Key policy recommendations include: (1) embedding equity-focused DRR strategies within urban development policies; (2) fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration to bridge institutional divides; and (3) mainstreaming anticipatory and inclusive planning models in urban governance systems. Such integrative approaches are essential for aligning infrastructure development with the broader goals of social justice, environmental sustainability, and urban resilience.

This article examines the intersection of disaster risk science, critical zones, and education in advancing sustainable development in Africa. It unpacks these interrelated concepts and explores their interconnected roles within the broader social-ecological system. Critical zones, dynamic interfaces where biotic and abiotic components interact, are increasingly recognized as key areas for understanding the processes that trigger and intensify disasters. By analyzing the role of these zones in disaster emergence, the article underscores the need to integrate disaster risk education into the curricula of African educational systems. It further argues that education is pivotal in equipping communities with the knowledge and skills to manage risks, reduce vulnerabilities, and build resilience. The article advocates for incorporating disaster risk science at all levels of education, from primary to tertiary institutions, while embracing a holistic approach that includes both formal and non-formal education sectors. Ultimately, it posits that such integration will cultivate informed and capable citizens, thereby making education for sustainable development in Africa a tangible reality, with disaster risk reduction and mitigation as critical outcomes.

Climate change poses significant challenges globally, with Africa being particularly vulnerable due to its socioeconomic and environmental contexts. Education is a powerful tool for equipping African youth with the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to address these challenges. This paper examines the role of climate change education (CCE) in preparing African youth for a sustainable future. This study presents a conceptual framework for integrating CCE into African educational systems through a robust methodology incorporating a qualitative paradigm. It also reviews the pertinent literature, discusses key findings, and proposes strategies for effective implementation.

Building on the 2006 Disaster Risk Reduction Begins at School campaign by the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR), this study examines the role of formal education in enhancing hazard awareness and disaster preparedness among learners in Binga district, Zimbabwe a region that is highly exposed to recurring climate-induced hazards. Despite the implementation of various school-based DRR awareness and training initiatives, their efficacy remains largely unverified through empirical research. This study adopts a qualitative research design, utilizing a structured questionnaire administered to learners aged 8–18 across 20 primary and secondary schools. Key indicators assessed include disaster knowledge, hazard education participation, preparedness levels, risk perception, and community engagement. A two-tier cluster sampling strategy stratifying Binga into northern and southern zones was employed to ensure geographical representation. Findings reveal that current DRR education initiatives are inadequate in cultivating comprehensive disaster resilience among learners. The study calls for targeted programmatic improvements, including curriculum integration, teacher capacity development, and stronger school-community DRR linkages.

Disaster headlines often underscore devastation and loss while overlooking success stories where proactive disaster risk reduction (DRRM) measures have averted catastrophe, saved lives, and reduced economic damage. This study addresses the gap in documentation and analysis of DRRM success stories in Africa, particularly within the Southern African Development Community (SADC), arguing that the absence of such narratives hampers a shift from reactive to proactive disaster risk governance. The research aims to extract critical lessons from success stories for enhancing future preparedness and response frameworks. A qualitative research design was employed, integrating document analysis, expert interviews, field observations, and practitioner workshops. Data was triangulated from diverse sources, including national disaster management agency reports (e.g., South Africa’s NDMC, Botswana’s NDMO, Mozambique’s INGC), peer-reviewed literature, UNDRR reports, SADC policy documents, and first-hand experiences from the authors’ consultancy work in the African Union’s biennial DRRM reporting processes. Case studies examined include Mozambique’s response to Cyclone Idai in 2019, South Africa’s drought and flood risk governance (e.g., the 2023 floods in Eastern and Western Cape), and Malawi’s flood resilience programs. Findings reveal that successful DRRM outcomes are driven by a combination of anticipatory governance, community-based preparedness, integration of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKSs), and investment in infrastructure and ecosystem-based adaptation. These cases demonstrate that locally embedded, yet scientifically informed, interventions enhance resilience and reduce disaster impacts. The study underscores the relevance of theoretical frameworks such as resilience theory, narrative theory, and social learning in interpreting how success stories contribute to institutional memory and adaptive capacity. Policy recommendations emphasize the need for institutionalizing success-story documentation in national DRRM frameworks, scaling up community engagement in risk governance, and fostering regional knowledge-sharing platforms within the SADC. Furthermore, the paper advocates for making DRRM success stories more visible and actionable to transition toward more anticipatory, inclusive, and effective disaster risk management systems.

Africa’s Critical Zones experience unprecedented environmental degradation but do not have effective governance modalities for policy implementation coordination across jurisdictional and stakeholder scales. This study addresses three specific scientific challenges: (1) How does policy discordance between national environmental policies and local implementation cultures undermine conservation effectiveness in Critical Zones? (2) What do power asymmetries among stakeholders contribute to governance failure? (3) To what extent do implementation gaps stem from the exclusion of Indigenous knowledge systems from mainstream policy-making processes? In this qualitative multi-case study, the research examines policy reports, technical reports, and interviews with important stakeholders in five African Critical Zones: Central Rift Valley (Ethiopia), Kilombero Valley (Tanzania), Maligunde Dam (Malawi), Lake Chivero (Zimbabwe), and Muizenberg East (South Africa). Evidence shows that shattered institutional imperatives create policy gaps exploited by industrial stakeholders, where policy design from the top down routinely leaves in place established community-based systems of governance that have historically maintained these ecosystems in equilibrium. Excess power held by government ministries compared to local communities results in 73% of environmental policy being enforced with ineffective stakeholder engagement, with non-compliance levels across examined locations exceeding 60%. The study attests to the fact that co-management incorporated governance systems that adopt traditional ecological knowledge systems register 40% greater compliance rates with policies. These findings are empirical evidence of adaptive governance models that can bridge Africa’s most vulnerable ecosystems’ policy–practice gap, and they guide direct implementation of the African Union Agenda 2063 environmental targets.

Climate change has magnified health disparities across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region by destabilizing the critical natural systems, which include water security, food production, and disease ecology. The IPCC (2007) underscores the disproportionate impact on low-income populations characterized by limited adaptive capacity, exacerbating existing vulnerabilities. Rising temperatures, erratic precipitation patterns, and increased frequency of extreme weather events ranging from prolonged droughts to catastrophic floods have created favourable conditions for the spread of waterborne diseases such as cholera, dysentery, and typhoid, as well as the expansion of vector-borne diseases zone also characterized by warmer and wetter conditions where diseases like malaria thrives. This study employed a comparative analysis of climate and health data across Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and South Africa examining the interplay between climatic shifts and disease patterns. Through reviews of national surveillance reports, adaptation policies, and outbreak records, the analysis reveals the existence of critical gaps in preparedness and response. Zimbabwe’s Matabeleland region experienced a doubling of diarrheal diseases in 2019 due to drought-driven water shortages, forcing communities to rely on unsafe alternatives. Mozambique faced a similar crisis following Cyclone Idai in 2019, where floodwaters precipitated a threefold surge in cholera cases, predominantly affecting children under five. In Malawi, Cyclone Ana’s catastrophic flooding in 2022 contaminated water sources, leading to a devastating cholera outbreak that claimed over 1200 lives. Meanwhile, in South Africa, inadequate sanitation in KwaZulu-Natal’s informal settlements amplified cholera transmission during the 2023 rainy season. Malaria incidence has also risen in these regions, with warmer temperatures extending the geographic range of Anopheles mosquitoes and lengthening the transmission seasons. The findings underscore an urgent need for integrated, multisectoral interventions. Strengthening disease surveillance systems to incorporate climate data could enhance early warning capabilities, while national adaptation plans must prioritize health resilience by bridging gaps between water, agriculture, and infrastructure policies. Community-level interventions, such as water purification programs and targeted vector control, are essential to reduce outbreaks in high-risk areas. Beyond these findings, there is a critical need to invest in longitudinal research so as to elucidate the causal pathways between climate change and disease burden, particularly for understudied linkages like malaria expansion and urbanization. Without coordinated action, climate-related health inequalities will continue to widen, leaving marginalized populations increasingly vulnerable to preventable diseases. The SADC region must adopt evidence-based, equity-centred strategies to mitigate these growing threats and safeguard public health in a warming world.

Recent trends in science communication have demonstrated that many scientific and social innovations that have the potential to empower society and facilitate social transformation can only achieve their aims through inclusive engagement methodologies and approaches. In the Global South, scientists and science communicators are increasingly acknowledging the significance of socially inclusive methodologies and approaches that will enhance participation in knowledge creation, knowledge brokering, and science communication systems. Their transformative efforts are however hampered by the reality that most of the epistemologies and science communication insights are Eurocentric and fall short of being contextualised to the Global South. In particular, there is a persistence of the oversimplified deficit model in which public audiences are treated as lacking relevant knowledge or experience and as not scientifically literate or interested in research. These approaches therefore miss out on the opportunity to harness the wealth of Indigenous knowledge systems that already exist in the Global South and the in-depth contextualised understandings that these knowledge systems offer. This chapter further argues that the adoption and privileging of Eurocentric models in the Global South is itself another exemplar of the deficit model in practice and calls for evidence-based advocacy to advance socially inclusive approaches to science communication that will enhance access to contextually relevant epistemologies. Drawing from practical examples of science communication across diverse regions of the Global South, the chapter further provides insights into how Eurocentric approaches to science communication in these regions result in the exclusion of Indigenous knowledge systems as a knowledge base. It then reflects on specific ways in which more locally embedded Indigenous approaches can be used and the value they would add to science communication uptake and appreciation in the Global South.

Globally, the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events including flash floods, rising sea levels, and storms is increasing. Poorly planned informal settlements have become more vulnerable. In most regions, infrastructure to cope and protect the vulnerable from such impacts is inadequate. This article aimed to elucidate the main issues faced by South Africa in terms of flood forecasting as well as present an innovative method to assess exposure to floods. A qualitative approach was utilized to gather data during interviews with community leaders and residents of Quarry Road informal settlement. A flood hazard index was developed in a GIS environment. Distance from rivers was calculated, and rainfall intensity and water table level were estimated from metrological measurements, groundwater logging data, and SAR data. A spatial analysis evaluated each grid-point on every parameter and according to the local conditions and each point was assigned values on a scale between 2 and 10. The findings revealed areas most prone to floods in the settlement and the need for a comprehensive post-flood damage database meant for validation purposes and calibrating future prediction models.