Oxfam South Africa Reaffirms Solidarity for a People-Centred Just Transition at the Climate Works Foundation Partner Convening
Oxfam South Africa joined civil society leaders, community organizations, researchers, labour representatives, and environmental justice advocates at the Climate Works Foundation’s (CWF) Global South Just Transition Fund (JTF) Partner Engagement held in Johannesburg on the 9th to the 11th of June 2026.)
The convening brought together multi-partners and stakeholders working on Just Transition issues across South Africa’s to reflect on shared learning, strengthening collaboration, and collectively (re)shaping pathways toward a more equitable and sustainable future.
Participants engaged in critical conversations on community benefits, accountability, decent work, civic participation, policy-influencing, narrative change, storytelling and the role of organized constituencies in driving transformative climate action towards a just future for all.
Hosted by the Climate Works Foundation, the gathering forms part of a growing local and international effort to ensure that the shift from fossil fuel-dependent economies to renewable energy systems is rooted in justice, inclusion, and democratic participation. The funding initiative supports partners working on a a Just Transition agenda to reimagine just economies, strengthen civic infrastructure and innovative energy, transport, agriculture, mining (etc) solutions that are community-led and sustaining lives.
Representing Oxfam South Africa, the Senior Programs Manager and the Movement Building joined fellow climate justice practitioners and advocates, in exploring how communities can be placed at the centre of South Africa’s transition journey.
The convening challenged participants to think critically about who really benefits from the transition, who bears its costs, and how communities most affected by climate change, energy insecurity, unemployment, and environmental degradation can meaningfully participate in shaping solutions and building resilience to tackle the problems that affect them the most.
Across the various discussions, a recurring message emerged:
A just transition must go beyond academic rhetoric and civil society jargon that refers to technological energy innovations and solutions outside of the broader JT themes. It must lean more into people-centred climate justice; where we prioritize collaborative thinking and action regarding policy implementation and accountable governance to address the social, economic, and historical inequalities that continue to shape people’s lived realities particularly in South Africa and for countries in the Global South.
Liveson Manguwo, Senior Programmes Manager at Oxfam South Africa said:
Spaces like these create invaluable opportunities for organisations to come together, align around a shared purpose, and demonstrate solidarity with one another and the communities we serve. Many of the partners attending the convening, including Oxfam, are working in the same areas such as Komati, yet we are not always aware of the full scope of each other’s workwithin the same communities. Convenings like this allow us to identify who is active in these communities, understand the interventions they are leading, and explore meaningful opportunities for collaboration that can strengthen our collective impact and transformation for people impacted the most by the transition.
Furthermore, the conversation on reducing inequality expanded to explore how regional development and human mobility intersect with economic gaps. Portia Kurima, Programme and Policy Manager for Gender Justice at Oxfam in Southern Africa, noted that:
Throughout the three-day programme, participants emphasized the importance of building strong alliances across sectors and movements. From private sector players to community activists, to labour representatives and policy experts; the convening demonstrated that lasting change requires collective action and shared accountability. It was emphasised that achieving a just transition requires not only ambitious policy and financing mechanisms, but also strong partnerships rooted in trust, accountability, and community leadership.
For Oxfam South Africa, these conversations reinforce a long-standing commitment to fighting climate injustice and inequality in the Global South. It also reinforced the need to create opportunities for sustainable livelihoods by strengthening community adaptation and resilience, advancing gender justice, and ensuring that historically marginalised voices are heard and included in decision-making spaces. They serve as a powerful reminder that a just transition is not merely an environmental imperative, but it is a social justice movement. It is about transforming systems, redistributing power, and ensuring that the benefits of a greener future are shared by all.
Our collective efforts with others, ensures that we continue to stand in solidarity with communities, workers, youth, womxn and members of the LGBTIQA+ community, and civil society organisations advocating for a transition that is fair, inclusive, and accountable. Through the work supported by the CWF Oxfam demonstrates that those most affected by climate and economic change must not simply be consulted, they must be empowered to lead this transition themselves.
As we move towards the local government elections in November 2026, and as South Africa continues to navigate complex climate and development challenges, Oxfam South Africa remains committed to working alongside partners across the country and the broader Global South community to champion people-centred solutions to climate change that leave no one behind. Together, we will continue advancing a vision of climate justice that places dignity, equity, participation, and human rights at the heart of the transition.
