Submissions and Thinking
Formal submissions, public comment and writing.
OUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO POLICY
Afristar contributes to public policy through formal submissions, comment and writing.
These are the contributions we have filed. Full documents are available on request.
Biodiversity, land and planning
Draft National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP)
Restoration as the foundation of rural economic opportunity. Eight recommendations, each tied to a specific section of the plan.
Request the submissionKouga Municipal Spatial Development Framework
A formal representation on the Final Draft MSDF: the nuclear buffer provisions and their consistency with the district plan under SPLUMA, and issues specific to Cape St Francis, including the link road wording, commercial zoning and proclaiming the nature reserve.
Download the representation (PDF)Musina-Makhado Special Economic Zone
Comments on the draft EIA, together with socio-economic alternatives to extraction.
Request the submissionEnergy and nuclear
Thyspunt nuclear EIA: Draft Scoping Report submission
May 2026. Afristar's submission on Eskom's proposed 5,200 MW nuclear power station at Thyspunt, on procedural, legal and public finance grounds, with the follow-up scope gaps document.
Cannabis
Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill
Comments on the Bill, from the 2020 key points to the 2023 hemp presentation to the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services.
Thinking
Essays and opinion on land, water, economy and place.
Published articles
- The National Democratic Revolution. How far have we come?Mail & Guardian, 28 July 2026
- Madiba's ideal a dream deferredMail & Guardian, July 2026
- South Africa started global cannabis prohibition. It can end itMail & Guardian, 8 July 2026
- Cannabis industry has huge economic value for South Africa, but government dragging its feetDaily Maverick, 13 December 2022
- Cannabis farming is a future reality, but government continues to erect mystifying barriers to entryDaily Maverick, 24 November 2021
- Cannabis cultivation could be a key economic driver for reconstruction after Covid-19Daily Maverick, 20 April 2020
Selected essays from Deep South Futures
- The National Democratic Revolution: What Sixty Years of Land Reform Never AskedDeep South Futures, 28 July 2026 (full version)
- Thoughts From the Nuclear Fringe: St Francis Bay lost its beach. Thyspunt could lose everythingDeep South Futures, 11 June 2026
- Ancient FuturesDeep South Futures, 21 June 2026
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