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This study documents a multi-proxy palaeoecological record spanning 2000 years for the northern KwaZulu-Natal coastal plain. Data are presented from cores recovered from Lake Sibaya and the northernmost coastal flats of the Kosi lake system. Sedimentation rates are higher in the dated Sibaya core than in the Kosi core. Carbon isotopic values from all three cores suggest that C 3 plants have been the dominant biomass, with some C 4 plant input at certain depths/times in the cores. Low nitrogen isotopic data in the cores suggest that nitrogen fixation processes occur in both systems. Due to high sample distance and often low pollen concentration, palynological data are restricted to a single core at Lake Sibaya. The pollen assemblages reflecting changes from greater forest abundances to greater savanna grassland abundances support results from a previous palynological study at the lake. The relative proportion of carbon in the samples decreases during the same time frame, potentially reflecting a decline in biomass volumes at the two ecosystems. Human impact is evidenced by the appearance of pine and probable maize pollen in the upper section of the core.

Climate change impacts on hydrologic systems, coupled with increasing water demand and a growing global population, has led to depleted water resources in semi-arid regions around the world. This increase in water shortages has significant implications for environmental justice and equity concerns. One such region impacted by both water scarcity and deep-seated inequality is the Western Cape of South Africa, whose drought crisis reached peak recognition when the City of Cape Town released its notice of “Day Zero” in 2018, the day the city would turn off the taps to residents. This study examines the changes in physical factors prior to and during the 2015–2018 drought in Cape Town and evaluates how policy decisions made in response to this event interacted with existing social injustices. Analysis of the physical data finds only a slight direct relationship between rainfall and dam levels (r2 = 0.3), suggesting a more complex narrative for the decrease in water supply, including increased water use and management decisions. Of the many policies implemented to avoid Day Zero, some were found to be more effective and can be utilized long-term. The study also finds that the Cape Town water crisis has unveiled and heightened existing inequalities through placing a disproportionate financial burden on low-income communities. As droughts become more common, Cape Town provides a crucial case study for understanding the social, political, and environmental implications of drought management in the future.

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