This year has been a monumental one in the five-year history of the African Climate Alliance. If we could sum up the year in one word it would be: movement-building. As we wind down toward our annual organisational break before diving into 2025, here’s a brief look at what we have been up to in October, November, and December.

In a landmark ruling, the High Court of South Africa has overturned the government’s plans to add 1,500 MW of new coal-fired power to the national grid, saying they are “unlawful and invalid.”

 In a powerful call to action, children and youth across South Africa are urging the government to advocate for their climate rights at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). As the ICJ prepares to issue an advisory opinion on states’ obligations in respect of climate change under international law, young South Africans are demanding that their voices be heard and their rights protected.

The journey of an ACA Ambassador is not over after our one-year Ambassador Programme. After graduating from the programme, we aim to continue our support for each Ambassador’s change-making initiatives with our Opportunity Fund. This Fund is intended to support the sustainability and ongoing efforts of ACA Ambassadors.

Aksanti Bienfait is a Congolese refugee artivist, based in Uganda, and the founder of Just Paint, a community driven initiative that operates within a refugee camp. His work revolves around using art as a tool for personal development, emotional healing, and social unity.

Access to safe and clean water is a basic human right and critical for individual survival and societies. Yet, in Africa, more than  25% of the population spends about six hours walking in order to get enough water for a day — sometimes unclean water — which causes serious health problems and reinforces cycles of poverty. 

Nonhlanhla Ncaweni is a South African changemaker who was one of our 2022 ACA Ambassadors. Based in Katlehong, Gauteng, Nonhlanhla’s socio-environmental activism is motivated by spatial inequality and the uneven distribution of green spaces in low income communities.

As a global community, on World Environment Day, we are reflecting on our planet's precious resources, and the need for land restoration, desertification, and drought resilience. This is a particularly critical issue currently gripping the African continent.

The first-ever Cape Town Climate Concert isn't just about music; it's a rallying cry for a better future. Building on the long South African history of the connection between song and social change, the Cape Town Climate Concert aims to bring together people living in Cape Town and surrounds.

To dismantle systems of oppression, we need to imagine our alternatives. We need to articulate the futures we dream of. This is why we are asking young people, from across Africa, to share what #TheFutureIs to them from 6 May to 28 June 2024.

On the 21st of March 2024, in Cape Town, civil society from different sectors, organisations, and communities across the city came together for a mass action to call for deep systemic change. The action had received a permit from the City of Cape Town (CoCT) for 2500 people to march and gather. In issuing the permit, the CoCT confirmed that sufficient police, law enforcement, and traffic officers would be present to ensure the safety of all involved with the action. Unfortunately this proved not to be the case.

Youth, civil society, and concerned citizens are gearing up for the next March for System Change, scheduled for Thursday, March 21, 2024.

Dayanca Pather is one of our current 2023/2024 ACA Ambassadors, based in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. She strongly believes that we cannot achieve climate justice without social justice.

The People’s Hearing for Energy Profiteers is a platform for affected communities, activists, and civil society experts to advocate for the prioritisation of human and environmental rights in efforts to address the energy crisis and the climate crisis.

Sairusha Govindsamy is a South African veterinary science student, with a passion for conservation, who has been a part of our Youth Activist Network since the very beginning of ACA.

On December 9 2023, people across South Africa will unite in local actions against oil and gas drilling off the South African coastlines.