This is despite challenges by what he called “emotionally charged lobbyists” — environmentalists — who cite the dangers of nuclear power and radioactive waste disposal. He said they did so without paying attention to the science.

Ramokgopa told a nuclear summit in Pretoria that developing 2500 megawatts of new nuclear energy generation, as highlighted in the Integrated Resource Plan  2019 (IRP 2019), is firmly on the table as part of the country’s future energy mix.

He said the government’s recent withdrawal of the January 2024 gazette of a ministerial determination to procure nuclear power under the Electricity Regulation Act was to ensure the public participation process is transparent, “clean” and “democratic”.

Environmentalists including the Southern African Faith Communities Environment Institute, Earth Life Africa and the Democratic Alliance had challenged the procedural fairness and legality of the determination in the high court.

Ramokgopa said that although renewable energy is ascending in use and popularity there remains “little conversation” about nuclear power from scientists.

“Where are the nuclear people? Because we’ve got the sterling record of 76 years of contribution to the science and technology, at least to the extent that nuclear

is responsible for power … for purposes of electrification,” he said.

“We have entered an arena and a period in this evolving energy complex, of lobbyists, of those who ‘appropriate to themselves, the know-how’ of a technology, and they’ve got the capacity and the potential to … undermine and discredit a technology not supported by science and evidence.”

Ramokgopa said the scientific community had a duty to dispel “these myths” regarding dangers of nuclear power.

The minister said politicians and policymakers had also “soiled” the reputation of the technology “because of allegations of malfeasance, leakage, corruption, manipulation” and the wasting of money.

“This is what nonscientists that don’t have a scientific basis use to push back and invalidate the argument,” he said.

Ramokgopa said the government would announce its next steps regarding its nuclear energy plans “in the next week or so”, because some of the underlying assumptions, such as Eskom’s generation performance, highlighted in the IRP 2019 plan have changed.

“If there are complexities, or the process of the 2500MW build programme is compromised, and on our own version, having studied the process objectively, we find that it is compromised, we have a duty to pull it back, to clean it so that you don’t conflate the science and the process. Because when you misstep on the process, you are inviting legal practitioners to enter the domain of science,” he said.

“We are cleaning the process, making it as democratic as possible. Those who’ve got objections can raise those objections based on the science … It’s important that the process is credible.”

Ramokgopa said the summit had gathered some of the country’s top scientists to tackle the nuclear issue and to make it “fashionable, funky, youthful and female”.  

“The point I want to make is that nuclear energy is part of the energy mix. Nuclear is part of the future. It’s indispensable to the attainment of energy sovereignty in this country. Science must trump emotions and politics.”

He said nuclear is also competitive from a capital cost point of view, because the use of small modular reactors, which could be placed close to sources of consumption, would mean Eskom would not have to expand its distribution lines and the country could also export its nuclear energy skills to the rest of the continent.

South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa) chief executive Loyiso Tyabshe said the R2.6 billion revenue business was “running very profitably” and 60% of its revenue comes from foreign sales in the US, Europe and Asia.

The state-owned company is responsible for processing source material, including uranium enrichment and research and development in nuclear energy and radiation sciences, co-operating with institutions locally and internationally.

“Necsa is at the leading edge in that we are the first in the world to move our reactor from using highly enriched uranium to low enriched uranium. The rest of the world is following us,” he said. “Our isotopes occupy 20% of the global market. We need to sustain that and improve wherever possible.” 

He said the company employs 1600 people and this could be tripled if plans to expand nuclear energy generation go ahead.

National Radioactive Waste Disposal Institute chief executive Alan Carolissen said there was a need to demystify the myths associated with radioactive waste and nuclear energy.

“Currently, the debate is about nuclear energy, the power side. I’m not hearing anybody telling Africans and the world, what are we doing in terms of our radio isotope manufacturing. If we don’t exploit our nuclear energy, we cannot go for a CT scan. We cannot get radiation therapy.

“Nuclear technology is not corrupt. People are corrupt,” he said.

of San Miguel de Aquila in Mexico from years of abuse by mining giant Ternium. 

In January last year, both defenders disappeared. Neither have been found. Three months after they vanished, anti-mining activist Eustacio Alcalá also disappeared, and was found dead two days later.

Their case is featured in a new report by the environmental and human rights watchdog, Global Witness, on the killings of land and environmental defenders in 2023, which noted that there is no hard evidence that Ternium or its employees have ordered or carried out any disappearances of land defenders.

The presence of iron ore mining in the region has contributed to a “microcosm of competing interests” including the territorial expansion of organised criminals and worsening violence, the report said. 

“I wish the world could see the destruction mining causes in Aquila — to our environment, to us,” Lagunes’ daughter Brenda said in the report. “I wish they could see how the water in the river has disappeared, just as my father and Ricardo have.”

Global Witness documented that 196 defenders were murdered last year after exercising their right to protect their lands and the environment from harm, warning that the actual number is likely to be higher.

There are “countless stories of defender courage we want to tell but can’t”, the NGO said. 

Around the world, those who oppose the abuse of their homes and lands are met with violence and intimidation. Yet, the full scope of these attacks remains hidden, while many killings go unreported. 

“Fear of retaliation keeps families from seeking justice, and communities are coerced into silence. Journalists become targets,” it said. “Stories are buried, covered up, erased. Often, we have very little information about a case at all. Many defenders will remain unnamed, their sacrifices unacknowledged, their stories of defiance untold.”

A “disturbingly small percentage of cases” result in perpetrators being held accountable and families may never find justice or closure, nor feel safe to speak out. The truth is obscured by a system of complicity: compromised civic spaces, rampant corruption and dysfunctional legal systems. “Erasure is a form of attack too.”

That 196 defenders were murdered in 2023 tips the total number of killings to more than 2000 globally since Global Witness started reporting data in 2012. The NGO estimates that the total now stands at 2 106 murders. 

More than 1 500 defenders have been murdered since the adoption of the Paris Agreement on climate change on 12 December 2015. 

“Murder continues to be a common strategy for silencing defenders and is unquestionably

the most brutal. But as this report shows, lethal attacks often occur alongside wider

retaliations against defenders who are being targeted by government, business and other

non-state actors with violence, intimidation, smear campaigns and criminalisation. This is

happening in every region of the world and in almost every sector.”

Once again, Latin America had the highest number of recorded killings worldwide, with 166 killings overall — 54 killings in Mexico and Central America and 112 in South America.

Overall, for the second year running, Colombia was found to be the deadliest country in the world, with a record 79 deaths in total last year — compared to 60 in 2022, and 33 in 2021. This is the most defenders killed in one country in a single year Global Witness has ever recorded. 

With 461 killings from 2012 to 2023, Colombia has the highest number of reported environmental defender killings globally on record. In Brazil, 25 murders were documented, while 18 were documented in Mexico and a further 18 in Honduras.

In Africa, two defenders were murdered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, one in Rwanda and one in Ghana in 2023. Between 2012 and 2023, 116 defenders were murdered on the continent, most of them park rangers in the DRC (74). 

“We have also documented cases in Kenya (six), South Africa (six), Chad (five), Uganda (five), Liberia (three) and Burkina Faso (two), among other countries,” the report said.  “These chilling figures are most likely a gross underestimate as access to information continues to be a challenge across the continent.”

In Europe and North America, defenders are also “facing increasingly difficult situations

as they exercise the right to protest”. Four demonstrators were killed in Panama last year, while two were killed in Indonesia. 

In the United States, a police officer shot dead an environmental defender who was demonstrating against the destruction of a forest to make way for a police training complex. 

Worldwide, Indigenous peoples and Afrodescendents continue to be disproportionately

targeted, accounting for 49% of total murders.

While establishing a direct relationship between the murder of a defender and specific corporate interests remains difficult, Global Witness identified mining as the “biggest industry driver by far”, with 25 defenders killed after opposing mining operations in 2023. Other industries include fishing (five), logging (five), agribusiness (four), roads and infrastructure (four) and hydropower (two). 

In total, 23 of the 25 mining-related killings globally last year happened in Latin America. But more than 40% of all mining-related killings from 2012 to 2023 occurred in Asia, which is home to significant natural reserves of key critical minerals vital for clean energy technologies.

“This report shows that in every region of the world, people who speak out and call attention to the harm caused by extractive industries — like deforestation, pollution and land grabbing — face violence, discrimination and threats,” Nonhle Mbuthuma, a 2024 Goldman prize winner and founder of the Amadiba Crisis Committee, wrote in the foreword. “We are land and environmental defenders. And when we speak up many of us are attacked for doing so.”

Being an environmental defender does not come without personal sacrifice, she said. “Decades of working to protect our planet has taken a toll on me physically and emotionally. There is a hidden cost to our activism. For years, I have faced death threats, brutality, criminalisation and harassment. 

“knowing my life is in danger every day is deeply taxing. And I know I am not alone. Defenders and their communities are exposed to an ever-evolving range of reprisals, many of which are hidden from view. Or worse, ignored,” she said.

The European commissioner for energy, Kadri Simson, Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa and Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Parks Tau announced the two grants in a joint statement, saying the partnership will focus on building  more renewable energy infrastructure, improve energy efficiency and promote sustainable practices. 

“The first, a R490 million EU grant, is expected to leverage R10 billion in private and public sector finance across the hydrogen value chain, covering production, transportation, storage and downstream industries,” they said in the statement on Monday.

This is in line with South Africa’s plans to expand the green hydrogen sector and comes after the announcement of an agreement to launch a $1 billion blended finance fund to help accelerate its development.

The EU grant will be delivered in two tranches, the second of which is meant for Transnet, the state-owned company that manages the country’s rail ports and pipelines. 

“A second EU grant of R138 million to assist Transnet in its turn-around strategy, is expected to leverage additional funding for the green transformation of its core operational areas, including ports, rail, pipeline, engineering and related facilities,” the statement read. 

The topic of green hydrogen is polarising, with proponents arguing that it is a cleaner energy alternative and can play a significant role in reducing carbon emissions. It can be used in electricity production, fuel, powering vehicles, and manufacturing sectors like steel. Detractors say green hydrogen is problematic because it requires a lot of land and energy to produce. And, unless the energy is renewable, green hydrogen will not be a clean source. 

“The main objective is to increase investments in green hydrogen infrastructure and contribute to: reducing global greenhouse emissions, notably in sectors where this is particularly challenging, and promoting local development and economic growth by creating jobs, providing water treatment, and increasing access to [green] energy,” the statement said.

The project aims to help Transnet reach net zero carbon emissions by 2040 through studies and pilot projects “focused on the production and storage of low-carbon hydrogen, and mobilising technical assistance to structure Transnet’s green hydrogen strategy and allow for the scaling up of green hydrogen projects in South Africa”.

Simson said partnering with South Africa “shows the EU Global Gateway strategy in action, boosting smart, clean and secure connections in the energy and transport sections”.

“Our cooperation in support of South Africa’s green hydrogen agenda aims to accelerate the green transition, drive sustainable development, create new economic opportunities, and build a more sustainable future for the region,” she added.

They formed part of the “Celebrating the Vaal River” event, which marked the opening of the spring and summer boating season and the celebration of the removal of the invasive aquatic weeds that had infested the sewage-polluted Vaal River Barrage Reservoir. 

“We couldn’t navigate this river literally,” said Rosemary Anderson, the managing director of Stonehaven on Vaal. “We had 400 hectares — that’s the size of a farm — of water lettuce and now it’s all gone.”

That the coverage is down to less than a hectare on the barrage made Saturday an “exceptionally happy day” for Anderson.

Anderson, the national chairperson of the Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa (Fedhasa), praised the community-government collaboration for the removal of the free-floating invasive species that forms dense mats on the surface, which had seen a R10 million investment by the Vaal River community. 

“We worked together with Rand Water and the DWS [department of water and sanitation], the department of forestry, fisheries and the environment and Julie Coetzee [the deputy director of the Centre for Biological Control (CBC) at Rhodes University].” 

Other partners include agrichemicals and explosives group Omnia, Save the Vaal Environment, Fedhasa and AfriForum. 

“Today is a day to celebrate and I’m hoping that this template of biocontrol, physical removal, herbicide and curtaining can be used in other water bodies that have got a similar problem [with invasive aquatic weeds],” she added. 

The weed invasion caused losses for many businesses along the barrage.

“It was really bad for aquatic life too. We have very rich water birdlife on the Vaal River that were totally decimated because they couldn’t access the areas that they had before and we had land birds that were on top of the water lettuce,” Anderson said.

The department of water and sanitation has appointed Rand Water as the official implementing agent to ensure that the barrage “never experiences what it went through earlier this year”. It has allocated R42 million over the next three years, together with a comprehensive preventative programme.

The infestation of water lettuce and water hyacinth is fuelled by high levels of polluted water in the catchment of the Vaal River. Efforts by the department to reverse this include monitoring hotspots, assisting and intervening with municipalities and taking legal action when required.

This will further be supported by an anti-pollution forum that will meet next month under the leadership of the deputy water and sanitation minister, Isaac Seitlholo, said Leslie Hoy, the project manager at Rand Water. 

“This is part of an integrated plan to revert the river and its tributaries back to a more healthy state, allow for biodiversity to be restored, for communities to enjoy and experience a cleaner environment and for business to flourish,” he said. 

“For the invasive alien species in the Vaal River Barrage, we’ve come up with a strategy to say what plants are here because there might be others,” said Anet Muir, the chief director of water use compliance and enforcement at the department. The strategy is to identify invasive aquatic species and find appropriate sustainable controls. 

Her job is to sort out the water quality for industry, mines and wastewater. And it’s not only the troubled Emfuleni local municipality that can be blamed for the sewage loads in the Vaal River. 

“It’s Mpumalanga, it’s Johannesurg, it’s Sasolburg, it’s Vanderbijlpark, it’s everywhere and that’s just the municipalities. That’s not even the industries; the mines, and agriculture and urban runoff. 

“That’s just the formalised wastewater coming in. Everything else that’s not point source [pollution] must also be sorted out,” she said.

The Centre for Biological Controls’ Coetzee said: “Today is a celebration of open water as a result of a community getting together to sort out a huge problem. I think the community did a huge amount through their removal and what-have-you, but maybe weren’t aware of all the behind-the-scenes things going on with the government and Rand Water to facilitate the process.”

Ferrial Adam, the executive manager of WaterCAN, added: “This is beautiful and we can’t help but celebrate people coming together to solve a problem.”

But she can’t help but feel a “division” in South Africa, highlighting the recent drowning of an 18-month-old in the Klip River, where initial efforts to locate the toddler’s body were stalled because the water was so polluted.

“How do we make our rivers a place of celebration across the country? I literally have to switch off my WhatsApp at night because you get picture after picture of acid mine drainage and sewage. How do we garner this kind of money and the influence that money brings but I applaud the [Vaal] community for actually getting together and doing stuff,” Adam said. 

She remains worried about the use of Kilo Max 700, a glyphosate sodium salt herbicide, to clear the invasive aquatic weeds on the Vaal. “We don’t test our water for glyphosate. Glyphosate is in our water, it’s in our food,” she said, citing research that had found traces of glyphosate in a local brand of tomato sauce. 

“Glyphosate is poisonous to our human bodies, to animal bodies, to the environment, so we have to be realistic about this. People wanted a quick fix, they wanted this thing gone from their river and they had the means to do so. On the one hand, you have to say well done to them, but we have to be mindful of the  long-term effects on the environment.” 

Hoy said that although Kilo Max contains glyphosate, its formulation “is such that it is not carcinogenic and we’ve got documents in writing [from the supply company UPL] to tell us that”.

He said spraying the herbicide would continue next year for as long as needed to control the invasive species. 

Coetzee said the quality of the water upstream needs to be remediated. “We’ve put a Band-Aid on a compound fracture. We’ve treated this explosive growth of an invasive plant but we haven’t solved the source of the problem. It’s all about water quality.” 

She said the Vaal community cleared the barrage so that boats could be sailed and people “can have a nice braai and go to a resort, but “we have to look at the ecosystem. You can’t have a non-functional aquatic system because then you lose all those benefits of this function.”

Rand Water has a preventative programme to ensure the barrage reservoir “never experiences the level of invasive aquatic weed coverage as experienced earlier this year”, Hoy said.

It is issuing requests for quotations to reduce regrowth and limit the invasive species’ spread through physical removal, chemical control and biocontrol. 

Through the support of the CBC, three community stations and one station at Rand Water have been set up to rear biological control agents such as weevils and hoppers that have been approved as host-specific feeders. Biological control will be used as a long-term, natural control mechanism that will need to be supplemented annually. 

“I am just hoping that when the plants come back, we can work on the biocontrol solution as a sustainable solution rather than spraying herbicides,” said Coetzee.  

Water lettuce and water hyacinth are likely to be a long-term problem for the barrage, Hoy said. His theory is that the more plants that are removed in the early stages, the “less chance we have of a problem late in summer”.

For her part, Anderson vowed: “We already are so ahead of the game. The moment we see it we’re going to be on it like a wet blanket.”

Leon Grobbelaar, the past president of the Institute for Waste Management Southern Africa, said: “Landfills are not in a good state, not properly managed, although everyone tries to implement [the regulations], it’s extremely difficult.

“Because of financial constraints, municipalities are really battling and if you look at the design costs and construction cost of landfill sites, it is extremely expensive.” 

Shabeer Jhetam, chief executive of the Glass Recycling Company, said the country produces about 120 million tonnes of waste annually, most of which is still sent to landfills, but the lack of new sites, coupled with growing waste volumes, is putting immense pressure on them.

“Overfilled landfills pose several dangers to both human health and the environment. They can lead to groundwater contamination through leachate, a toxic liquid that seeps from waste,” he said.

“Air pollution from methane emissions, which can cause fires and explosions, is another significant risk. Additionally, poorly managed sites can lead to pest infestations and odour problems, affecting nearby communities’ quality of life.”

South Africa has 826 landfill sites,which are either licensed and operating legally, privately owned and commissioned, or are unlicensed. 

A 2019 presentation by the department of forestry, fisheries and the environment showed that private facilities had a high level of compliance and were properly managed and monitored, while public facilities had a low level of compliance.

A 2024 audit on the state of landfills by lobby group AfriForum found that only 14.3% of sites met the minimum requirements for waste management, suggesting “serious shortcomings in municipalities with regards to the systems and the persons who are responsible for proper waste management”.

Gauteng and the Western Cape had the highest level of compliance, while the Northern Cape and the Free State were the worst performers. 

“For the seventh consecutive year, not a single landfill site in the Free State has passed the audit, while for the second year in a row, the Northern Cape also had no sites that meet 80% of the audit requirements [for waste management],” AfriForum said.

Grobbelaar said that in the Free State, non-compliance with waste management regulations stemmed from the province’s failure to line the landfills with plastic to prevent leakages.

In 2020, the government developed a national waste management strategy setting out goals to manage the crisis, with a target of diverting 45% of the waste from landfills to recycling centres within five years, 55% within 10 years and at least 70% within 15 years, “leading to zero waste going to landfill”. 

The strategy also seeks to ensure residents have effective and sustainable waste services that are well-managed and financially sustainable, while ensuring compliance and enforcement with waste management regulations including “zero tolerance of pollution, litter and illegal dumping”.

Peter Mbelengwa, a spokesperson for the department of forestry, fisheries and the environment, said a number of problems are exacerbating waste management in South Africa, including population growth, unfunded waste services, landfill airspace depletion, inadequate waste diversion and outdated infrastructure. 

He said landfills are also struggling to meet compliance regulations in accordance with the waste management act because of a shortage of resources. 

Grobbelaar said municipalities are not enforcing the regulations or the strategy, leading to the rapid deterioration of the landfills.

“The municipalities just do not have the skills and the know-how to run those facilities and to maintain them because of the skill set. It’s the plastic linings [the latest regulation] and there’s different methods of how to put in the protective layers on it. It becomes an extremely onerous process, and therefore they rather just ignore it,” he said.

The environment department said that although Gauteng has a high level of compliance, its landfills are reaching capacity faster than most. As reported previously by the M&G, some of the landfills have just three years left. 

Mbelengwa said the national waste management strategy is being implemented, with some goals already achieved.

“We have recently imposed a restriction of a minimum of 50% recycled content as part of the product design measures for plastic carrier bags, as a way of encouraging the reuse of waste materials. This has resulted in the removal of 368 600 tonnes of plastic waste from the environment; they have supported between 60 000 to 90 000 waste reclaimers as well as creating 7 500 formal jobs,” he said.

“Many rural municipalities struggle to prioritise waste management, but the department has been offering free services to assist them in this area. 

Waste pickers also play a crucial role in waste management in South Africa. “They often reclaim waste that should be disposed of in landfills, highlighting the importance of their work in the overall waste management system.”

In 2022, the department said organic waste was the largest contributor to the total quantity of general waste, comprising biomass from sugar mills, sawmills and the paper and pulp industry. This was followed by bottom ash, slag and municipal waste, construction and demolition waste and metals. 

Mbelengwa said the disposal of nappies and other hygiene absorbent products into water was also a problem.

Grobbelaar said garden greens and building rubble are contributing to the high level of waste as well, but he noted that the Western Cape has a better system than Gauteng for handling waste, including having more recycling centres.

“The Western Cape is the only province that I know of that’s got deadlines and milestones to remove building rubble, garden greens and recyclables out of the landfills, and they’re quite strict about it,” he said.

“They aggressively implement recycling centres, composting farms, crushing the building rubbles, and they are strict about it. The rest of the country, Gauteng included, they really do not care.”

Jhetam said expanding landfills is not a solution, because it is a lengthy process and harms the environment in the long term. He called for a more entrenched culture of separating waste products and recycling them. 

“Increasing public awareness, the implementation of mandatory waste separation at

source by government is critical to increase diversion of glass packaging from landfill, and investing in recycling infrastructure are crucial steps,” he said.

Grobbelaar said that instead of pouring billions of rands into developing new landfill sites, the government should use it to build more recycling centres.

“If we can take R12 billion to clean up illegal dumping … how many recycling centres can be built for that cost?” he said. “It’s the [lack of] willingness, the drive and the vision to implement that, and that’s where the problem is.”

The breeding and release programme of the birds, which are classified as vulnerable, began in 1996 and has been hailed as a success by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (Sanbi).

“Released vultures are monitored through GPS tracking devices, which provide us with invaluable data on their adaptation and movements in the wild. Some of our released birds have travelled as far as Lesotho and Botswana, which is encouraging evidence that they are integrating into wild populations,” said Sanbi spokesperson Ednah Sekwakwa.

A GPS device is laced around the vulture’s pelvic bones, allowing the birds to move without discomfort and enabling researchers to monitor their journeys across Southern Africa, Sanbi said in a statement.

Sekwakwa said that according to the latest global assessment, in 2021, “the Cape vulture population is between 9 600 and 12 800. “This range highlights their vulnerable status and underscores the need for continued intervention,” she said. 

The Cape vulture is native to South Africa, eSwatini, Lesotho and parts of Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia. Sekwakwa said the population is threatened by poisonings and power line collisions. 

“The biggest challenge facing vulture conservation is both intentional and accidental poisoning. Intentional poisoning is often linked to the illegal wildlife trade, where vultures are targeted for their body parts,” Sekwakwa said.

Vultures are believed to have healing powers and are considered valuable in traditional medicine.

“Accidental poisoning, however, occurs when vultures feed on carcasses that have been poisoned as part of predator control efforts. This unintended consequence remains one of the most significant threats to the species’ survival in the wild,” said Sekwakwa.

Cape vultures are one part of the initiative to safeguard vulture species. There are a number of plans in place to protect vultures across the country.

Sanbi said that without dedicated conservation efforts the Cape vulture “is highly susceptible to extinction”.

The breeding and release programme is carried out with the vulture conservation group, VulPro, and is part of the multi-species biodiversity management plan gazetted by the former minister of forestry, fisheries and the environment, Barbara Creecy.

According to the department, the plan is “to implement comprehensive strategic conservation actions that cover the geographic ranges of all nine vulture species found in South Africa, with a particular focus on the seven resident breeding species”.  

Sarah Chabangu, the curator of birding at the Pretoria Zoo, said: “Our Cape vulture breeding programme has been a cornerstone of our conservation efforts for nearly three decades. The progress we’ve made, in collaboration with VulPro and other partners, is a testament to our commitment to protecting this vulnerable species.”

She said the multi-species biodiversity management plan “will guide our efforts in the coming years, ensuring that these birds continue to soar in the skies of Southern Africa”.

Aside from the breeding and release, Sanbi is involved in education and awareness initiatives about why the species is important and needs to be conserved.

“These talks, combined with our ongoing public education campaigns, are essential in raising awareness and shifting public perceptions. Additionally, our partnership with conservation organisations like VulPro plays a critical role in supporting broader conservation strategies, including anti-poisoning efforts and habitat protection initiatives,” Sanbi said.

Of the vultures released in 2015, Sanbi said two had died and one was electrocuted by power lines in September 2020, “a reminder of the dangers vultures face in the wild”.

Of those released in 2024, one had travelled across South Africa and Lesotho, another “removed” its tracking device and the third had to be euthanised after a severe injury.

This key finding emerged from the latest Global Commons Survey 2024, conducted by market research group Ipsos UK and commissioned by Earth4All and the Global Commons Alliance and polled respondents in 18 G20+ countries, excluding Russia. 

The survey of 22 000 respondents, “captures growing concern” about the state of nature, awareness of planetary tipping points, and the demand for stronger environmental protections to safeguard the planet for future generations, according to Earth4All and the Global Commons Alliance.

Of the 1 000 South Africans polled, 85% of them agree that it should be a criminal offence for leaders of large businesses or senior government officials to approve or permit actions they know are likely to cause damage to nature and climate that is widespread, long-term or cannot ​be reversed.

G20 countries represent about 85% of the global GDP, 78% of greenhouse gas emissions, more than 75% of global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population. 

The organisations said the research follows recent landmark legislative changes, including in Belgium where ecocide — destruction of the natural habitat — was recognised as a federal crime earlier this year. Related laws have also been passed in Chile and France while ecocide bills have been proposed in Brazil, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Peru and Scotland, among others.

The survey included respondents from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, plus four countries outside the G20: Austria, Denmark, Kenya, and Sweden. 

Among the respondents, 59% are very or extremely worried about the state of nature today — a slight increase from the 2021 Global Commons Survey. In addition, 69% agree that Earth is nearing tipping points related to climate and nature because of human activities. 

The survey categorised respondents into five “planetary stewardship segments”, showing that “steady progressives”, “concerned optimists”, and “planetary stewards” groups advocating for strong action to protect the environment make up the majority (61%) of people across the G20 countries surveyed. 

“This marks a social tipping point, with more people now demanding action to protect the planet than those who do not,” the organisations said.

Gender disparities, emerging economies

Gender disparities in concern for the environment were exposed too. Sixty-two percent of women are extremely or very worried about the state of nature today, compared with 56% of men. The survey found that 74% of women believe that major action to address environmental issues should be taken within the next decade, compared with 68% of men. 

Only 25% of women believe that many claims about environmental risks are exaggerated while 33% of men do. Women are also significantly less likely to believe technology can solve environmental problems without individuals having to make big lifestyle changes (35% compared with 44% of men).  

The results showed that people in emerging economies such as India (87%), China (79%), Indonesia (79%), Kenya (73%) and Turkey (69%) feel more personally exposed to climate change compared with those in Europe and the United States. 

Those who perceive themselves as highly exposed to environmental and climate-related risks also show the highest levels of concern and urgency regarding climate action. This group is most likely to link human and planetary health and see benefits in addressing environmental issues. 

“We found that the idea of planetary stewardship is strongest in emerging economies like Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, and Kenya,” said Owen Gaffney, co-lead of the Earth4All initiative.

Findings from South Africa 

On the question of whether the government is doing enough to tackle climate change and environmental damage, only 24% of the South Africans surveyed agreed.

Meanwhile, 61% agreed that nature can meet the needs of humans right now while 54% said that nature is already too damaged to continue meeting human needs in the long-term. 

Just over half of the local respondents agreed that technology can solve environmental problems without individuals having to make changes in their lives. Seventy percent of local respondents agreed that addressing climate change and environmental damage can “bring many benefits” to South Africa. 

Seventy-seven percent agreed that because of human activities, the Earth is close to environmental tipping points where rainforests or glaciers may change suddenly or be more difficult to stabilise in the long term. A further 67% agreed that the costs of damages caused by environmental pollution are much higher than the costs of the investments needed for a green transition.

But 31% believed that many of the claims about environmental threats are exaggerated.

On the question of “thinking about climate change and protecting nature, how quickly do you think the world needs to take major action to reduce carbon emissions from electricity, transport, food, industry and buildings”, 83% of surveyed South Africans felt that action was needed within the next decade. 

Eleven percent of South Africans believed that action was needed within the next 20 to 30 years, 3% felt that action could be delayed by more than 30 years and 1% thought that no action would ever be required.

Instead, the sunset signifies the end of an era for his people because Dinde is destined to be destroyed to make way for a Chinese-owned coal mine and thermal power station project touted by the Zimbabwean government as a critical boost for its depleted power generation capacity.

In 2020 the government awarded Beifa Investments (Pvt) Limited, a subsidiary of the Jin An Group, licences to set up Beifa Coal Mine and Beifa Power Station in Dinde.

Chibuswa is one of many concerned that the coal mine will kill the village, and that community infrastructure, including church buildings, gardens, schools, clinic, dip-tanks and a hall, will be destroyed.

The coal project entails the eviction of at least 2,000 people, which Chibuswa says is a double slap because in the 1930s the same Nambya and Tonga people in Dinde today were forcibly evicted from Sinamatellata and Bumbusi areas to make way for the Hwange National Park.

“Today, we face the same circumstances that our grandfathers faced 90 years ago. We are being forced to abandon our ancestral lands for a company to make money. We thought the government would protect the poor from the rich. Instead, it uses the police to arrest us for refusing to let Beifa destroy us,” he said.

Chibuswa accused the local traditional leader of turning against the villagers after he was allegedly lavished with gifts that included a vehicle, a mini solar power plant, a borehole and a 2,000 litre-capacity water tank for his homestead. The chief has allegedly threatened to prosecute and banish anyone who resists the project.

“He wants us to accept the Beifa mine because it will bring development and employment opportunities, but we wonder how because we have already seen the pain and poverty caused by coal mines elsewhere in Hwange. We don’t want that here,” Chibuswa told Oxpeckers.

Opaque planning

One major sticking point is that the villagers say they were not consulted about the project. A lack of information about compensation for their land has also undermined confidence between the two parties. The villagers insist they will only leave after receiving the compensation.

In December 2019 Beifa Investments started a coal exploration programme which allegedly left coal sample holes around the homesteads and violated some gravesites. Stung by global condemnation that followed reports alleging the desecration of graves, Beifa Investments manager Zheng Zhou Qian dismissed the reports as misleading and defamatory.

“Beifa Investments (Pvt) Ltd has not evicted or shown any intention to evict anyone within the Dinde community. Beifa categorically denies ever desecrating any graves in the Dinde community. We note some images posted on the media showing holes drilled near graves (in Dinde). We wish to point out that the company did not sanction the drilling of any holes. As such, if there are any holes on the gravesites, that would be the work of other people unknown to the company,” Qian said.

Underground coal fires

Over a century of coal mining in Hwange has left the town in Matabeleland North sitting atop an intricate network of underground coal mining tunnels and abandoned works which still contain substantial amounts of coal that is not of commercial value. In these tunnels and deep into unexplored areas, underground coal seam fires have been raging unseen for decades.

Of late, these fires regularly burst to the surface as flames, or cause ground collapses forming sinkholes of burning coal which have maimed a number of residents and caused infrastructure damage around the town.

A former mine safety officer at the state-owned Hwange Colliery Company Limited (HCCL), who declined to be named for personal safety reasons, told Oxpeckers that most of the fires in Hwange are concentrated in areas previously mined by the company.

Heavy blasting and tunnelling under the town has destabilised the ground and created fissures large enough to allow underground fires or gas explosions to reach the surface as explosions or mini-earthquakes, he said.

“Many suburbs were built on top of burning coal seams. I am afraid there won’t be much of Hwange to save when disaster strikes,” he said.

“You never know you are sitting on one until the ground caves in and drops you into a cauldron of hot ash, hot gases or smouldering coals. The temperature is high enough to reduce bones to ashes in seconds. No one says much about it, but many have lost lives and limbs to coal fires.”

Human settlements

According to a 2021 study commissioned by the Centre for Natural Resources Governance, a research and advocacy civil society organisation, underground coal seam fires are now prevalent in the mining concession owned by HCCL where there are human settlements for mine workers.

“Residents have noted that mine residue dumps found in the Number 2 and 3 areas of the HCCL [concession] are some of the most hazardous sites with raging underground coal seam fires. It was noted that loose dry materials that land on hot coal dumps quickly ignite fires that spread to coal seams. Fires travel underground from one coal seam to another and subsist in the ground for many years. Removal of overburden during mining brings the fires close to the ground,” states the report, titled Effects of coal seam fires and other environmental hazards in Hwange.

It points out that in some cases the overburden gives in to the heat, causing the ground to collapse.

“Studies have shown that the survivors of burn injuries often suffer from chronic pain and serious problems, pruritus and loss of strength,” it states. “Psychosocially, a certain proportion may develop depression and post-traumatic stress disorder after being discharged from hospital and this can go on for several years after the incident.”

In response to the results of independent research showing the effects of its underground coal fires on public health, HCCL managing director Charles Zinyemba issued a statement saying he was “very much alive” to the underground coal seam fires on its concessions.

“As a precautionary measure, public education campaigns [on underground coal seam fires] were, and will continue to be held in the schools and villages [around Hwange],” he said.

“Tribal elders were engaged to disseminate this information to the villagers, and communities living in close proximity to affected areas will continue to be informed of temporary measures to avoid risks, such road diversions and placement of signages in affected areas. In addition, HCCL has invested in a drone that has a camera for security and the identification of underground fires,” Zinyemba said.

A dead river

Elsewhere in Hwange, the fears of the Dinde villagers are already being felt by people living along the Deka River, which runs through the mining town. The river transports toxic mineral effluent from at least seven coal miners and thermal power producers.

Villagers who spoke to Oxpeckers said due to fears of poisoning, people do not drink water from the river but are surviving on boreholes drilled by a local NGO.

“The waters of the Deka changed colour to green about 20 years ago, and it has remained like that because of pollution,” said a local headman, Cassius Sinampande.

“We Tongas call ourselves ‘the people of the river’ because fishing is our tradition. But we don’t fish anymore because toxic mine pollutants killed the fish. The water kills people. It kills livestock. Anything watered from the Deka dies.”

In Hwange town, residents are grappling with continuous noise and air pollution, environmental degradation and water contamination by effluents from the coal mines and power stations. The Hwange Local Board also complains of widespread local road network destruction by heavy trucks that deliver coal and supplies to and from the mines. The residents said heavy blasting by coal mines was damaging their houses, with most suffering cracks each time blasting happens.

Acid mine drainage

A study published by Frontiers For Environmental Science in December 2021 found acid mine drainage and other pollutants in the Deka River were causing serious environmental problems and had potentially disastrous public health consequences.

“Based on the data of the community-based monitoring, we showed that coal mining and combustion are degrading the water quality of the Deka River. The main effluent channel Sikabala that joins Deka River carries along a variety of metals that relate to those found in very high concentrations at the point sources of acid mine drainage (AMD),” the report states.

“These AMD sources are mining legacies from former underground mines. Our findings show that AMD formation is mainly responsible for critical loads of Mn2+ [manganese] and other bivalent transition metals in the river downstream of the inlet of the main effluent channel Sikabala.”

The study also recorded cases of illegal pumping of pit water by miners, which violates environmental emission standards. They concluded that the acidic pit lakes in the Hwange area will present high risks for the Deka’s ecosystem as long as mines continue to neglect the environmental impacts of their actions.

“Pollutants are most probably also entering the river system via the atmosphere, as high arsenic concentrations during the rainy season suggest. A potential source of these emissions is the thermal power plants,” it states.

Since the Deka River is a source of drinking water, pollutants such as manganese and to a lesser degree nickel and arsenic are of concern for human health, the researchers concluded. “These elements regularly exceed drinking water standards, with manganese being the most drastic case, surpassing standards around 70 fold.”

The researchers recommended the Zimbabwe government should commission a public health study across the Hwange District to determine potential public health effects of high manganese exposure.

Oscar Nkala is a Zimbabwe-based Oxpeckers Associate who works on transnational investigations across borders in sub-Saharan Africa. This investigation is part of the Oxpeckers investigative series titled ‘The human cost of energy in Africa’.

Marine seabirds can be used as indicators of plastic pollution at sea, the researchers from the University of Cape Town’s FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology said. 

“For instance, in the Northern hemisphere, fulmars [tube-nosed seabirds] breeding close to densely-populated areas contain more plastic than those breeding in remote Arctic regions,” they said. 

The findings were published in the journal Science of the Total Environment. Given the steady increase in the global production of plastics since the 1950s, the authors expected the amount of plastic in petrels to increase over time. 

Large amounts of mismanaged plastic waste have leaked into marine environments, and continue to do so. And once at sea, plastic litter may drift for years. The physical degradation of plastic items has led to tiny plastic particles becoming ubiquitous around the world, with especially high concentrations in the sea.

Seabirds frequently consume these plastic fragments directly or in their food, said Vonica Perold, a PhD student, who led the study. 

“Among seabirds, the highest ingested plastic loads typically are found in petrels, which can store plastics in their stomachs for weeks or months. Indeed, petrels were among the first organisms found to contain plastics in 1960, and since then, almost all petrel species examined have been found to contain plastic.”

Yet despite growing concern about the large amounts of waste plastic in marine ecosystems, evidence of an increase in the amount of floating plastic at sea has “been mixed”, they said. Both at-sea surveys and ingested plastic loads in seabirds show inconsistent evidence of significant increases in the amount of plastic since the 1980s. 

The study examined plastic loads in 3 727 brown skua pellets containing the remains of four petrel species. Skuas are predatory seabirds that mainly feed on other seabirds while breeding at Inaccessible Island, and regurgitate the indigestible remains of their prey – including the plastic they contain. 

This was to monitor changes in plastic loads in the four petrel species breeding at Inaccessible Island, Tristan da Cunha, in nine years from 1987 to 2018.

“The number and proportions of industrial pellets among ingested plastic decreased consistently over the study period in all four taxa, suggesting that industry initiatives to reduce pellet leakage have reduced the numbers of pellets at sea,” the study says. 

“Despite global plastic production increasing more than four-fold over the study period, there was no consistent increase in the total amount of ingested plastic in any species.” 

Perold took advantage of samples collected since 1987 by Peter Ryan, an emeritus professor at the FitzPatrick Institute and co-author of the study, who started researching the island while he was a student.

“Global plastic production increased more than four-fold over the study period, so the failure to detect an increase in the amount of plastic in petrels sampled in the same way at the same site for over 30 years is surprising,” Ryan said. 

“Our findings suggest that efforts to limit waste plastic entering the environment have been at least partly successful, reducing the proportion of plastic leaking into the sea over this period.”

When the study started, dumping of plastics at sea was still legal, and lax controls on plastic converters resulted in huge numbers of industrial pellets reaching the sea. Since then, numerous initiatives have been implemented to reduce plastic leakage and clean up plastics in the environment. 

For the seabirds in the South Atlantic, the authors found that these measures appear to have more or less balanced the increase in the amount of plastic now being produced. “Clearly there is room for even stricter controls to reduce waste plastic leakage, and in particular to reduce the amount of plastic used in single-use applications,” Ryan said.

He added that continued monitoring of plastic in seabirds will help to determine the efficacy of further efforts, including the United Nations plastic treaty that is being negotiated.

The study noted that if global plastic production was the primary driver of plastic at sea, “we would expect the density of floating plastic at sea to have increased four to six times from 1989 to 2018. 

“This is in sharp contrast to the limited change in plastic loads in petrels breeding on Inaccessible Island over this period, and in the other long-term studies. Either petrels do not track the density of floating plastic at sea, or the density of plastic in the South Atlantic Ocean has not increased in line with global plastic production.”

Growing awareness of the dangers posed by plastics in the environment over the past three decades has resulted in many interventions to reduce plastic leakage. “Together, these efforts might explain why plastic loads in seabirds (and by extension, floating at sea) have not increased as fast as the growth in plastic production.”

Their study provides further support for long-term reductions in the numbers of industrial pellets at sea, presumably at least in part from mitigation measures to reduce the leakage of pellets into the environment. 

“The lack of marked increases in plastic loads in four seabird species over 30 years, despite four to six-fold increases in global plastic production over this time, is consistent with other studies tracking the density of floating plastic at sea.”

Such long-term monitoring studies highlight the value of seabirds as sentinels of ocean health by tracking changes in plastic loads in the marine environment. “Continued monitoring of plastic pollution trends is important to assess the efficacy of intervention measures and understanding the dynamics behind the densities recorded at sea,” the study says.

A knowledge sponge, he’s acquiring myriad skills to do with growing, processing and selling of foodstuffs, and the more I talk to him, the more impressed I become with his knowledge and the operation he is running.

I’ve coaxed my old Triumph Bonneville motorcycle out to Kromdraai, near Nirox Sculpture Park in the Cradle of Humankind, to see what Ugly Veg, which has been running for just over a year, is about. I meet Tshepiso outside the brightly painted Kromdraai Café, where some tables are set up to make an outdoor stall. It’s still winter, with just a taste of spring in the air, so there’s only one farmer selling some kale. 

There’s also some plastic trays of capsules on the table, which contain seeds and spores collected by Tshepiso from indigenous trees, grasses and mushrooms. Kromdraai is on a popular cycling route, and the cyclists apparently buy these “wilding bombs” and toss them into the veld as they ride. When it rains, the capsules melt, releasing their seeds into the wet soil at just the right time. What a brilliant idea.

Before we start our tour, Tshepiso packs up the stall, weighs and counts the bunches of kale, packs them in some crates, puts them in a trailer and whips out a pad. There’s an app that tallies up the kale and produces a figure for their worth, and an invoice of R230 is generated for the farmer, who pockets it.

“Every bit of produce the people here grow is bought,” Tshepiso assures me as we set off up the slope behind the café. This potent incentive has brought about an explosion of allotments next to the township, which can be clearly seen on Google Maps.

Kromdraai Plot 26 township is like many others in South Africa; electrical pylons overhead that branch off to the shacks; some garbage in the streets through which mother hens guide their chicks; dusty streets with dongas and dogs; knots of people gathered in the shade. 

What distinguishes it are the several water tanks mounted on brick plinths, where a network of black plastic pipes spray water into the fields bordering the township, most of which bear crops in the early stage of spring growth. Some of the fields have tunnels to protect the crops from insects, birds and monkeys. 

Tshepiso proudly shows me his spotless home, the first he has ever owned, before we head out to one of the fields, where a teenager is busy digging in the soil. Nkoana Keketso, 17, from Steynrus, Free State, has dropped out of school due to his family situation — “it’s a long story” — and is trying his hand at farming for Ugly Veg. He’s just started, but he says he’s enjoying the quiet, and is looking forward to more training. 

A few hundred metres beyond the field is another township, where the zama zamas (illegal gold miners) reside near an abandoned mine. Some of the zama zamas have come to Kromdraai to try their hand at urban farming, says Tshepiso, and many of their families live and farm here in Plot 26. I ask if we can go to chat with them, but I’m told that the zama zama chief has to first give his permission or things could get dangerous, so we head back. 

As we pass deeper into Kromdraai Plot 26, I can’t help noticing that even the tiny yards around the shacks bordered by fences, washing lines and sheets of corrugated iron have bright green veggies growing in neat rows. Every spare foot is dedicated to cultivation. One plot has the biggest kale plant I’ve ever seen.

We stop and chat with another group touring the township. There are lessons to be learnt here. Kromdraai has become a demo model for city folk and those who are curious about what these types of initiatives can do. Ugly Veg is an initiative of U Can Grow which works with small farmers to create financial opportunities for selling produce as well as providing training and infrastructure.

I ask Thsepiso why he called the company “Ugly Veg”. He replies that it’s because Kromdraai Plot 26 is such an ugly township, but it produces the most amazing organic vegetables. The carrots may not grow straight (Kromdraai means skew), “but they taste really sweet”. 

Back at Kromdraai Café we hitch the trailer filled with kale to a Land Rover and drive up to the well-equipped and secured packing sheds, which is where the fresh produce is stored and processed. This is where I discover how much Tshepiso knows and does. Not only does he do stock-taking of the community’s produce on the app, he also directs its cleaning, sorting and packing. 

The kale he brought here will be made into juice; he also makes carrot and beet juice. Nirox is using the dried pulp left from making the juices as pigment for making paint. The fresh Ugly Veg produce is sold to the Culinary Centre, Food Lover’s Market, and to a number of top restaurants in the area. Nothing goes to waste; if it can’t be sold fresh, it is processed, frozen or dried. Even the water used for cleaning is recycled.

There’s a drying rack, a worm farm, compost makers and seedling beds, from which compost, soil nutrients and seedlings are taken back to Kromdraai township. A biochar soil additive from Stellenbosch University retains moisture in the soil. There’s even a small laboratory where Tshepiso produces his seed capsules, kombucha and the beautifully packaged Zama Zama Chilli Sauce. 

He knows how all this equipment works, how all the parts fit together, how the cycle of growth and composting feed each other. He tells me that in time, he will train other members of the community in the many skills he has acquired — but first, he needs to know how everything works himself. 

He explains that he gathered the knowledge to run this growing operation from U Can Grow co-founder Steve Carver, who comes out to Kromdraai every Friday from Johannesburg. He first met Carver three years ago, when he was busy digging a hole for a septic tank.

“He’s a great teacher, who gave me a chance,” Tshepiso says. “I see him as part of my family. He taught me everything I know.” Tshepiso doesn’t have much family himself: born in Brits, North West, he was raised by his grandmother. He dropped out of school after doing Grade 10, but he’s not letting that hold him back; in addition to the agricultural skills he is acquiring, he recently got a licence to drive trucks. 

On my way home I stop for coffee at Bidon Bistro, on the Restonic premises, where Ugly Veg Company has a stall. It’s not active now, but in summer mornings the venue is crammed with cyclists, who, through their support, have established a symbiotic relationship with the Kromdraai veggie growers. This symbiosis is boosted by the fact that Tshepiso — filled with his charismatic youthful enthusiasm — rides his own bicycle to the stall, and is becoming regarded as one of the cycling crowd. 

Garth Mes, manager of Bidon Bistro, says: “The Ugly Veg stall was set up because it’s a community thing; they are nice people, and they are passionate about their business and their community. There’s quite a few cyclists who come specially to Bidon to buy their juices. They add value to our business. They planted the seed for us to set up 100 allotments at Bidon in partnership with Keith Kirsten and Lifestyle Landscape College, for our patrons and the local community to grow what they want; mulberry trees, strawberries, a Japanese garden, a meditation garden, etc. It’s for city folk who don’t have the space at home to bring these dreams to fruition.”

Several other farmers in the area are contributing with various initiatives and by giving the small farmers useful things like extra fencing. The owner of the farm next to Plot 26, who prefers not to be named, says: “Ugly Veg is doing a fantastic thing — it has given the community self-pride and a sense of purpose, and I’ve been getting reports that crime and gender-based violence are dropping in the area.” Motivated by these reports, the local government is also stepping up, and is busy installing a borehole and irrigation system.

How U Can Grow works

U Can Grow (UCG) is the mother organisation that set up the infrastructure for Ugly Veg. It is a transformative organisation that is dedicated to reshaping the agricultural industry by adopting and promoting sustainable and regenerative farming practices. UCG establishes collectives of small-scale growers that together create economic scale. It strives to involve experienced, supporting farmers and connect smaller farmers into formal supply chains that help de-risk and micro-finance them.

UCG equips aspiring farmers with the tools and knowledge necessary to cultivate land effectively and sustainably. This includes providing seed boxes and a precision growth model that educates farmers on improving crop yields while regenerating the land. The emphasis is on biodiversity, water conservation and climate resilience, and using nature’s own processes to foster and sustain growth.

Carver says: “Consumers want to know the truth behind what they are eating. Was this food grown on a massive industrial farm with chemicals, or was it grown organically? When people choose us, they are supporting the growth of transformational farmers; their money is making a difference.”

UCG empowers individuals, families and communities by providing training and resources that create a deeper understanding of regenerative farming practices. Small farmers are incentivised through micro-learning, micro-jobbing, rewards and micro-financing, which creates a fully traceable value chain. This helps to encourage conservation and regenerative farming. Carver explains that UCG is not an NGO, it’s a business, and when it invests in places like Kromdraai, it needs the operation to succeed, both for itself and the small-scale farmers involved.

The focus is on sustainable profit, by cultivating a new generation of farmers who are successful and contribute positively to their communities and the environment. Their sustainable businesses grow the economy while nurturing the planet and its people. Carver says: “You cannot save the planet if no one is making money and people are starving. U Can Grow Africa is transforming people’s lives by including them in major supply chains for the first time.”

According to Carver, whose passion lies in developing entrepreneurs, small farmers don’t want to stay small farmers — they want to evolve. By developing a talent pipeline of exceptional farmers, the company is supporting their professional success. 

“When you combine business skills together with regenerative climate change skills, it suddenly means that innovation is in somebody’s hand. It’s exciting to create, foster and witness the process,” Carver said.

UCG’s journey: challenges, and what’s working

“We are small, and we are a commercial business, so we can only grow at the pace we can,” Carver says. “Other challenges we face are people wanting backhanders or bribes; we have politicians trying to bully us and claim our successes, constantly. We are sometimes faced with ‘having to ask permission’ just to grow a garden. But as we get bigger, it gives us more confidence. 

“For example, the Limpopo department of agriculture recently decided that they are going to work with us, at scale; we’re talking 150 hectares for growing chillies. The minute you have a portfolio of evidence, like Ugly Veg, you can use it to build on.” 

He adds that it’s also really difficult to sell new ideas to people, such as regenerative farming; there’s a massive amount of mining in South Africa, which is totally degenerative, and many farmers are still stuck in degenerative practices. 

What’s really working for UCG is its ability to use technology to scale, which works in different communities with different needs, in different biomes. Having packsheds that aggregate and buy each community’s produce is the “veld fire” that ignites sustainable growth, “because, quite simply, money works”. 

UCG is also developing landrace seeds: it’s taking 30 or 40 varieties of local seeds and cross-pollinating them, then seeing which ones have the least pests and grow the best. “We then grow a ‘Soweto’ seed, or a ‘Marikana’ seed or a ‘Maun’ seed, and develop seeds that grow best in particular areas. So it’s a combination of getting the soil right, the seeds right, and creating incentive by buying every crop that the small farmers grow,” says Carver.

His idea of “urban farming” is growing in a limited space, but he says it’s essential to understand how “slum farming” and the slum economy work, and using a very low-cost slum farming model works best in places like Kromdraai.

“We are building an army of regenerative farmers, who are healthier and better educated, who are learning to make money so they can be future taxpayers. We’re taking people off social grants into dignified livelihoods. This is how we are building this country — from the bottom up, not from the top down.”

Other UCG initiatives in Johannesburg —  informal reclaimer recycling hubs

U Can Grow is always looking for partners to work with; at its packshed in Marikana, it has partnered with the Mining Development Agency; it has partnered with the African Climate Foundation on regenerative farming; and another partner is The Great Oven, which builds giant community ovens and sends them to places of need, such as Beirut. 

In Joburg, UCG has partnered with Urban Surfer on informal reclaimer recycling hubs, to focus on creating commercial opportunities and livelihoods for waste reclaimers within the waste value chain, and to ensure that recyclables are reintegrated into the circular economy. 

The hub that I visited is based in Parktown. It has, in the few months that it has been running, created employment for seven waste reclaimers. What was once an informal reclaimer camp is now extremely organised, with a wooden fence surrounding the sorting bays, and a bungalow with bunk beds that provides dignified accommodation for the seven waste reclaimers working there. There’s also water supplied from a neighbour’s borehole, internet for their phones and basic cooking facilities. The entire site will soon be levelled, paved and secured with Clearview fences.

The Urban Surfers’ waste collection trollies each have a 200kg capacity and built-in trackers that provide monthly reports on the routes and waste collection data of the waste-preneurs. This is used to report back to the programme and the team leader to ensure the selected parties are using the opportunity productively. The waste they reclaim is sorted and weighed in accordance with the waste type; for example, plastics are separated from cardboard. 

Onsite is a solar-powered baler, which reduces the volume of waste and ensures that the site remains tidy, while the baled waste is sold to waste off-takers, which ultimately finances the hub. 

An unanticipated development that happened organically is that other waste reclaimers are now starting to sell their waste to the Parktown hub, which has meant the money generated on-site has gone up from R8 000 a month to around R50 000. 

U Can Grow is installing a worm farm at the Parktown base to turn organic waste into compost. Already on site are UCG “reels” used for growing vegetables, which effectively retain moisture and produce high nutrition yields for the reclaimers.

This story is part of an urban farming series in The Green Guardian. Watch this space!