Climate Leadership Programme meeting at Maropeng unites delegates

Climate change is a major global concern and Maropeng was very proud to have been the host venue for the Climate Leadership Programme meeting in mid-January 2011, which facilitated dialogue on climate change challenges.

The meeting was one of six workshops, which are part of the Climate Leadership Programme developed by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, a merger of the German Development Service (DED), German Technical Cooperation (GTZ), and Capacity Building International, Germany (InWEnt) in partnership with the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits).

Wits Natural Sciences lecturer, Dr Ute Schwaibold, says that an innovative approach is needed to address climate change.

“Worldwide we are trying to tackle the issues around climate change, and it has become clear that conventional leadership is not going to solve the problems,” says Schwaibold.

The developing world faces greater challenges than the developed world in terms of the impact of climate change and their capacity to respond to it. South Africa is not exempt from this as seen from the impact of the recent weather events that resulted in flooding and heat-waves in various parts of the country.

According to Schwaibold, success can be achieved, but “a new kind of leadership is required” and the Climate Leadership Programme is aimed at facilitating new leadership development that will bring a different insight and an approach to addressing the challenge of climate change.

The meeting, held at the Maropeng conference centre, involved the participation of more than 20 South African delegates and German facilitators. These included senior members of government, as well as business and civil society representatives. “All participants are in positions where they are confronted with climate change-related issues,” says Schwaibold.

Guest speakers at the meeting presented their leadership styles and their experiences in various sectors. They included prominent South African businesswomen, Cheryl Carolus, South African Cities Network CEO, Sithole Mbanga, head of the Ethekwini Municipality Environmental Management Department, Dr Debra Roberts and Dr Bob Scholes, a systems ecologist, employed by the CSIR.

Besides listening to the presentations, delegates were also encouraged to share information about the challenges they face in terms of climate change in their sectors, as well as discuss opportunities and success stories.

Barney Kgope, programme manager for climate change with the National Business Initiative, says that as a business person, he found the meeting extremely informative, as the business sector is the key sector that, through changing business approaches, can address climate change.


“The meeting offered the opportunity to interact with and understand the different stakeholders in terms of their roles and needs and thus helped me locate business in relation to this. This was an important aspect since we [business and other stakeholders] have to share a common understanding of climate change in order to formulate a common vision,” says Kgope.

Chantal Naidoo, divisional executive of environmental finance with the Development Bank of Southern Africa, says that being able to share information with other stakeholders was useful in terms of acknowledging the complex challenges which are involved in addressing climate change. “From this realisation emerges the reality that all mankind, irrespective of their ‘agenda’, has to join hands in this time of change,” she says.
The Maropeng conference centre offers delegates a unique meeting venue as noted in their reflections on their experience at the Visitor Centre for the Cradle of Humankind.

“Maropeng was a perfect setting for the meeting. It gave me the opportunity to appreciate the origin of humankind and track the history of our species, as well as understand how out of tune modern humanity is with Mother Nature,” says Kgope.

“I enjoyed the layered landscapes, open skies, and especially having the venue to ourselves for the period we were there. The staff were exceptionally accommodating, friendly and quietly supportive,” says Naidoo.

The Maropeng conference centre can accommodate any kind of meeting or event, with a maximum capacity to host 500 people. For more information or to book your event, contact Maropeng on +27 (0) 14 577 9000 or on info@maropeng.co.za.