Nobel Laureate and Founder of The Climate Reality Project, Al Gore once said that in order to solve climate change, first we have to fix democracy – and while we elect our representatives on voting day, our input doesn’t just end there.

But how many of us in South Africa actually know who our representatives are, how they work, and how we can (and should!) engage them on issues that affect our communities?

Tune in to The People’s Fix, the three part podcast mini-series with DJ Fikile ‘Fix’ Moeti and get more clued up on our rights, find out how to participate in the decisions that affect our future, and how we can hold our elected representatives to account.

Let’s be active citizens!

Episode list:

1. Legislatures 101:

The first episode is all about getting to know what National Parliament and Provincial Legislatures are, how they work, what powers they have in governance of South Africa, and how we, the people can engage them.

2. Public Participation – More than a tick-box exercise:

This episode zooms in on South African civil society that is already engaging our elected representatives; from South Durban and Lephalale’s toxic air, to the Vaal triangle’s water pollution and the Western Cape without water, this episode has a story from every corner of the country. We look at how public participation processes are currently working in South Africa (Spoiler alert: not very well), and what can be done to improve citizens’ participation in decision-making processes.

3. Follow the Money:

Aside from watching the budget speech and sending in your #TipsForTito, there is a lot more that you can do to influence where and what taxpayer money goes to. In this episode, we talk all about budgets: what the budget process is, what role the Legislature plays, and how you can both influence and monitor the budget through the workings of your elected representatives.