On 16 July 2023, in Khayelitsha, at The Desmond Tutu Community Hall, a public hearing was held for The Climate Change Bill. This public consultation called for inputs from all those wanting to have their voices and experiences heard, and influence ‘The Bill’!
This was a great opportunity for many across Cape Town, but it was especially exciting for our YouLead Alumni living in Khayelitsha; many of whom have been building knowledge and confidence over the last few years to engage these spaces and have their voices meaningfully heard.
“I truly enjoyed my time there. Being amongst people who believe in the same thing as me, which is climate justice”, said Inam Maswana, YouLead Alumni, 2022, when asked how the experience was.
Inam Maswana, YouLead Alumni 2022 at Climate Change Bill Consultation (by Traverse Le Goff, 2023)
When asked what stood out most at the consultation for her, Lisakhanya Mathiso, YouLead Alumni, 2019 had the following to say:
“What stood out for me was seeing that with most of the people that were there, we longed for the same things to be added to the bill. We all urged that people be held accountable for contributing to this crisis through the use of fines – where they will be forced to pay a stipend for breaking the laws. I recall Traverse Le Goff, a Member of Parliament who was present, mentioning that the bill needs a lot of restructuring as he felt like the bill was weak”.
“We commonly urged for a hard deadline for achieving Net-Zero to be identified in the law. We made sure that they are aware that climate change is a socio-economic issue, and that it is an emergency that needs to be tackled.”
Theo Jacobs, YouLead Alumni 2020, at The Climate Change Bill Consultation (by Traverse Le Goff, 2023)
Whilst our amazing YouLead Alumni were present, they were by no means the only ones who had their voices and comments heard. Jacqui Tooke from Extinction Rebellion Cape Town commented that the preamble of the bill needs to be honest as we are heading towards irreversible climate breakdown. She further commented that adaptation should not be pushed down further and not taken into consideration because some people are already practicing it and experiencing the harms of climate change.
With the range of concerns and suggestions around and for the bill being highlighted, one thing that rose clear is that we need one. We need a strong climate change act, and this bill needs to be passed as soon as possible. That it needs to ensure that our environment and the most affected in our society are protected. Strong regulations need to be in place to prevent further catastrophes that will come from fossil fuel investment. Let us continue engaging our decision-makers, and calling for climate justice.
Together we can achieve this, together we can inspire and mobilise change!
