Local Government and Climate Change: How are Rural- Local Municipalities in Limpopo Province Coping with the Effects of Climate Change? 

Climate change is considered one of the most complex and least-understood natural threats, affecting more people than any other hazard. In sub-Saharan Africa, it is believed that at least 60% of the region is vulnerable to climate change effects, and probably 30% is highly vulnerable. South Africa's Limpopo province is no exception (Department of Environmental Affairs, 2012:12). Extreme drought in the Limpopo River Basin, for example, is a regular phenomenon and has been recorded for more than a century at intervals of 10 to 20 years, even though the periodicity of droughts is not foreseeable. To cope with such challenges, resources ranging from skills to funding are needed to enable municipalities in the local sphere of government to respond effectively to climate change effects. As the local planning authorities in their jurisdictions, municipalities in South Africa have a mandate in terms of policy and legislation to conduct situational analyses on climate change and devise coping strategies when preparing their five-year and consultation-based Integrated Development Plans (IDPs). By reviewing and analysing IDPs and other government publications, this paper intends to understand how rural-based municipalities in Limpopo province cope with climate change effects. The uniqueness of this paper is that it deals with a cross-disciplinary subject (climate change) that can be studied outside of its modern discipline of environmental science.