While South African political parties face criticism that they say little or nothing about climate change risks from podiums during their 2026 local government elections campaigns, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola took the issue to the global stage this week.
Addressing world leaders at the 81st United Nations General Assembly last week, Lamola warned that climate disasters and extreme weather patterns threaten “our people, our prosperity, and our hard-won development gains”.
He said two million people across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) suffered the combined and debilitating effects of floods, cyclones, wildfires and disease outbreaks in the past year alone.
He pleaded for funding, saying: “Our responses are severely constrained by a climate finance architecture stacked against developing nations. Global action on disaster resilience and predictable financing for a just energy transition is essential if international cooperation is to deliver for all.”
Despite climate change remaining a buzzword worldwide, at home political parties have said little or nothing about rising sea levels, worsening heatwaves and deadly floods already reshaping communities. Instead they are campaigning hard on jobs, water, electricity and roads ahead of the November 4 municipal polls.
Experts said the omission was striking because this election will choose the very councillors responsible for the frontline of climate response, from stormwater drains and housing on flood plains to water supply and disaster management.
They noted, however, that climate change was not altogether absent from party campaigns; it just remained buried in the fine print of manifestos instead of being voiced from the podium at political rallies.
In 2024, Professor David Everatt of the University of the Witwatersrand's School of Governance, reportedly said parties offer a “ritual nod towards climate change” in their manifestos because donors and the United Nations require it, but from the podium they talk about jobs, lights and water.
Pretoria-based scientist Noloyiso Mbiza said that while she was not well-versed in politics and doesn’t attend political rallies, Everatt's sentiments still stand today.
“No political party is talking about climate change along with the environmental challenges experienced by communities. There are so many factors that drive and are driven by climate change which are not explained to communities who have no deep knowledge of the science,” she said.
While little was said about climate change from the podium, the African National Congress's manifesto highlighted that severe floods and extreme weather have recently hit communities in KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, the Eastern Cape, the Western Cape and beyond, leading to loss of life, displacement, damage to homes and infrastructure, and major costs for families, businesses and municipalities.
The party noted that the Climate Change Act, signed into law in 2024, was already active through Section 9 of the Act, which makes every district intergovernmental forum a municipal climate forum. Section 17, yet to come into effect, will require each municipality to assess its climate risks and responses, publish a plan, and integrate that plan into its Integrated Development Plan.
The Democratic Alliance, on the other hand, mentioned in its manifesto that it would remove harmful invasive species through society-wide programmes that employ dedicated task teams to remove invasive species and educate the public to protect indigenous environments.
Part of the Economic Freedom Fighters' manifesto promises to integrate climate change adaptation and environmental sustainability into all municipal planning and development projects, ensure that municipal policies and decisions strengthen climate resilience and reduce vulnerability to environmental, economic, and climate-related risks; and provide rebates and incentives on rates to households and businesses that invest in renewable energy and environmentally sustainable technologies.
The Inkatha Freedom Party's manifesto did not specifically address climate change, instead emphasising basic service delivery and bread-and-butter issues. For example, it called on voters to trust the party to create an enabling environment for business growth and job creation, and to deliver basic services and functional infrastructure.
Mbiza said communities have not been educated on the value of trees or consulted on why areas lack them; some fear trees shelter criminals, while others cut them for firewood, which adds to carbon emissions.
“Challenges of water scarcity and water pollution are not mentioned. Service delivery is only looked at from the angle of water provision, not the quality of water handed over to communities,” she said.
She added that the related sewage challenges, which significantly impact water quality, are also not addressed or discussed publicly and that “climate change is just a terminology used and not implemented”.
Environmental activist Tiny Taukobong, who works in e-waste collection and recycling, agreed, saying that manifestos cater to donors, coalition partners and compliance, while podiums reflect what parties believe will win votes.
According to her, that disconnect showed that climate change was treated as a box-ticking exercise rather than a governance priority.
“The gap between the two is the clearest evidence that climate change is treated as a compliance item, not a governance priority,” she said.
Community activist Desmond D’Sa, who has been fighting for environmental justice for more than two decades, said the recently launched manifestos lacked significant points about climate change and its impact on the planet and people.
“Yet their campaigns have brought these leaders to the worst affected areas where hundreds of women and children have their lives and meagre belongings lost to severe floods,” he said.
According to him, campaigning political parties exploit mass unemployment by promising jobs, thereby promoting drivers of climate change such as the expansion of the fossil fuel industry as fuel prices rise daily.
He said parties generally do not treat climate change as a priority, adding that minimal budgets allocated across government departments mean they fail to exercise due diligence once elected.
When tabling the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment's R9.127 billion budget for 2026/27, Minister Willie Aucamp allocated R53.5 million to air quality management to address challenges through the imminent nationwide deployment of more than 300 low-cost air quality monitors.
“Every rand in this budget has been allocated to protect ecosystems, strengthen climate adaptation, improve environmental regulation, and support inclusive economic growth and job creation,” Aucamp said.
South Africa, considered the most industrialised economy in Africa, remains one of the most climate-vulnerable countries on the continent, ranked among the top 20 globally for climate risk while contributing significantly to emissions.
In his February Budget Speech, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana set aside R5bn in the contingency reserve for disasters.
Lisa Makaula, spokesperson of Advocacy and Programme Lead at The Green Connection, said political parties are understandably trying to speak to the issues they believe matter most to their constituents.
“Political parties that want to stand out will increasingly be those that make these connections explicit, positioning climate resilience not as a separate issue but as a foundation for reliable services, affordable energy, decent jobs and healthy communities,” she said.
Makaula believes that the public should be hearing much more about practical climate resilience at municipal level.
“Voters should be asking political parties: How will you prepare our communities for flooding and extreme rainfall? How will you maintain stormwater infrastructure? How will you reduce fire risk? How will you secure water supplies? How will you improve waste management and keep our communities healthy? And how will you make sure that new infrastructure is designed for the climate we are actually experiencing?” she said.
rapula.moatshe@nationalmg.co.za