Democracy Works Foundation (DWF) has partnered with Namakwa District-based Radio NFM to bring the Climate for Growth(CfG) conversation closer to communities. The partnership will use local radio to strengthen public understanding and participation in climate and energy governance. Through Radio NFM’s Grondvlak programme, DWF connects climate policy and the Just Energy Transition to people’s everyday realities to amplify local voices and create space for communities to engage meaningfully in decisions that shape their livelihoods and development.
Grondvlak is a bilingual radio programme exploring the people, ideas, businesses, projects and opportunities shaping the Namakwa region- from mining and renewable energy to local economic development, municipal planning and community development. It will connect these broader developments to everyday community realities, create space for residents, businesses, municipalities, civil society and other stakeholders to share their perspectives and engage with each other. The programme brings local stories and bigger developments into conversation, helping listeners better understand what is happening around them, how these developments affect their communities, and how they can engage with the opportunities they create.
Following the launch of the Climate for Growth project under DWF’s Climate, Energy, and Resource Governance, (CERG) programme, the opportunity was identified to align the existing Grondvlak radio programme with some of the project’s outcomes and areas of focus. The themes already being considered for Grondvlak also aligned naturally with CfG, particularly around local economic development, energy, climate, and community development.
The programme was initially conceived as an independent radio programme, with the intention of creating a space for conversations around issues relevant to Namakwa and its communities. While Grondvlak provides a platform to support the expected outcomes of CfG, the programme is not limited to the project. It creates a broader space for conversations with communities, businesses, municipalities, civil society and other stakeholders about the issues affecting the region and its future. This makes Grondvlak a useful vehicle for CfG. It provides a public platform where some of the themes, questions and opportunities emerging from the project can be explored through local conversations and perspectives. It also creates an opportunity for DWF and other organisations to listen to and engage with people who may not necessarily participate in formal stakeholder engagements.
The programme will feature interviews, question-and-answer sessions and presentations, with podcasts planned as a future addition. For now, Q&A sessions will take place within interviews, with live sessions planned as the audience grows.
Grondvlak is currently produced primarily as a radio programme, with TikTok used to extend its reach among the hyper-local audience through @grondvlak0.0. Expansion to other social media platforms is planned as the audience grows. A monthly newsletter will provide a recap of that month’s episodes. The programme is primarily produced in Afrikaans, with translated content planned once podcast hosting and a dedicated website are established. For now, listeners can access episodes through the Radio NFM website. The programme is intentionally hyper-local, while its social media and digital components will extend the reach of these conversations beyond the radio audience. The aim is to connect local stories and experiences with broader conversations around development and the future of the region.
Grondvlak airs every Thursday from 18:00 to 19:00 on Radio NFM. Listeners can tune in online via the listen live link: https://radionfm.co.za/#nfmLivePlayerModal or visit their website on: https://radionfm.co.za/. Listeners can also tune in on the following frequencies:
Nama-khoi: 98.1 FM
Khai-Ma: 89.7 FM
Kamiesberg: 90.7 FM
Richtersveld: 89.1 FM.
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About Climate for Growth
The Climate for Growth (CfG) project builds on a previous project implemented by Democracy Works Foundation (DWF), from 2022 to 2024, titled Fostering Inclusive Growth through Climate Change Champions (FIGCCC). The FIGCCC project, co-funded by the EU, supported democratic and participatory processes within the renewable energy economy in two provinces in South Africa. Piloted in the Northern Cape and Western Cape Provinces, the project demonstrated significant success in building the capacity of both communities and municipal governance systems to navigate climate impacts and energy transitions. It has also increased coordination between Independent Power Producers (IPPs), local government officials, and community-based civil society organisations. This led to a significant enhancement in civil society participation in climate change planning and improved the coordination of socio-economic development investments from the province’s renewable energy sector. CfG aims advance climate and energy democracy through strengthened civil society participation, inclusive provincial and local governance, coordinated socio-economic development, and community-based pilot initiatives to advance climate-smart solutions. This will be achieved through the establishment of a multi-stakeholder Joint Steering Committee aimed at fostering collaboration and mutual ownership of socio-economic development outcomes in the identified district municipalities.
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