Mminele, the presidential climate finance task team, condemns leaked draft documents

Daniel Mminele, the head of the of the Presidential Climate Finance Task Team, has criticized “speculation coverage” of a leaked draft document claiming that the $8.5 billion In climate funding pledged to South Africa will be mostly in the form of loans.

Speaking to News24, Mminele stated that the final “correct” version of the plan differ from the leaked draft.

“The numbers cited do not reflect the current status of the financing package, details of which will be provided once the plan is released to the public. Government plans to share the accurate and final version of the Jet-IP with the public in the near future,” Mminele said.

The Jet-IP was approved by Cabinet last week, and the inter-ministerial committee on climate change will hold a media briefing outlining further details.

Speaking at last week’s Standard Bank climate summit, Forestry, Fisheries, and Environment Minister Barbara Creecy, emphasized the work of the Presidential Climate Finance Task Team to ensure that the terms of the finance do not worsen the country’s fiscal situation.

She stated that the Jet-IP will be presented at COP27, which will be held in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, in November.

This will be followed by a public consultation program, which has received negative feedback from civil society. Dr Crispian Olver, Executive Director of the Presidential Climate Commission, also criticized the plan’s “secrecy” and called for public participation.

Hlengiwe Radebe, civil society engagement officer at WWF SA, expressed concerns about an ongoing lack of clarity on the terms and conditions of the financing at the Civil Society Town Hall on Climate Finance and the Jet-P, which was held in Johannesburg this past weekend.

Despite the fact that civil society had engaged with the presidential task force, the consultation process was found to be deficient. “The information[ on the investment plan] was limited,” Radebe said.

Civil society was assured that their contributions would be considered in the final investment strategy. “We don’t know that, we will see once that investment plan is made public,” she said. 

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