The urgent need for adaptation in South Africa's infrastructure investments

WHEN torrential rains unleashed terrorizing floods in KwaZulu-Natal in 2022, witnessed a state struggle with over 400 lives lost, thousands displaced, aggregate damages exceeding R7 billion. This damage, alongside others countrywide sends a clear message: we remain highly exposed to climate-related risks, with devastating consequences already visible across the nation.

- Morweši Ramonyai-Thonga

Despite these clear threats, our response remains critically inadequate, with just 12% of South Africa's climate finance around R866 billion annually) dedicated to climate adaptation, contrast to the projected need of R866 billion by 2030, escalating sharply to R1.3 trillion by 2050, according to World Bank estimates.

The 2025 Budget Speech brought about much elation on the proposed VAT increase, announced from Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana outlined an additional infrastructure investment plan, with greater resources to transport, energy, and water over the next three years, providing a critical opportunity to address this imbalance. Although much more investment is required, but this allocation presents a pivotal opportunity to correct the adaptation investment gap, however more crucially, while these investments are critical for economic growth and service delivery, they risk falling short if they fail to systematically integrate climate adaptation and resilience in their implementation.

South Africa's infrastructure spending must not only address current backlogs but must also future proof the nation against escalating climate risks, droughts and floods to heatwaves and rising energy insecurity.

The Urgency of Mainstreaming Adaptation in Infrastructure