“VUT hosted the first ICCRSF 2025 at Emperors Palace, where Minister Buti Manamela stressed higher education’s role in climate resilience and sustainability.”
02 September 2025 | Story By: Staff Writer | Picture: Sifiso Nomzaza
3 minutes read time.
The Vaal University of Technology (VUT) successfully hosted the inaugural International Conference on Climate Resilient, Smart and Sustainable Futures (ICCRSF 2025). The event, held at Emperors Palace from 25 to 28 August, brought together more than 300 delegates including global leaders, academics, innovators and policymakers to address urgent challenges of climate change and sustainable development.
The conference theme, “Stocktaking and Accelerating Action towards Global Compact Under the 2030 Agenda,” aligned with national priorities, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the African Union’s Agenda 2063. It underscored the need for academic institutions to drive innovation, resilience, and sustainability across Africa and the world.
Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, Buti Manamela, delivered the keynote address and emphasised the crucial role of skills development and research in supporting South Africa’s Just Energy Transition. He announced the forthcoming launch of a Just Energy Transition Desk in his Ministry, an intervention aimed at ensuring higher education plays a central role in building a low-carbon, inclusive economy.
In his closing remarks, Minister Manamela reminded delegates that higher education institutions must actively champion the climate change conversation. “Universities globally are increasingly recognising their responsibility to prepare students and society to contribute to both mitigation and adaptation. This includes adopting and promoting carbon neutral goals and practices,” he said. He further urged universities to design educational programmes that upskill current and future leaders to drive systems change and societal transformation.
For VUT Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Khehla Ndlovu, the gathering was not only about academic exchange but also about accountability. “Our university stands on the banks of the Vaal River. That river is both a gift and a warning. It feeds our communities, sustains agriculture, drives industry, and quenches the thirst of millions. Yet too often, it mirrors our failures when pollution clouds its waters, when mismanagement threatens its flow, and when climate change tightens its grip,” Professor Ndlovu said, stressing that education and responsibility must go hand in hand.
The ICCRSF 2025 was spearheaded by VUT in partnership with the Presidential Climate Commission, reinforcing the institution’s commitment to advancing academic programmes that support South Africa’s climate response. The programme included tracks on Climate Impact, Resilience, Adaptation and Mitigation, Sustainable Development and the 2030 Agenda, Smart Digital Transformation for Sustainability, Policy Frameworks and Financing for Resilient Futures, as well as Heritage, Tourism, Aviation and Hospitality under climate change.
Organised in collaboration with the National Research Foundation (NRF), Tourism Educators of South Africa (TESA), Great Zimbabwe University, the University of South Africa, the University of Fort Hare, the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, the Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and Maasai Mara University in Kenya, the conference laid a strong foundation for long-term collaboration. The ICCRSF 2025 affirmed VUT’s role as a catalyst for research, innovation and international partnerships in building a climate-resilient and sustainable future.