The University’s efforts to address the effects of climate change have taken a significant step forward. On 11 June 2025, the Department of Community Extension, in collaboration with MUT Radio and students from various departments, joined by eThekwini Municipality, hosted a live discussion on the effects of climate change on the University radio. The theme of the conversation was: “Engaging Youth in Climate Change Conversations live on MUT Radio”.
The department has decided to involve the youth in the climate change conversation and action, as outlined by Professor Xolile Mkhize of the Department of Community Extension. Professor Mkhize said it was time for the youth to get involved in such conversations, emphasising that the youth is the future; they will inherit the world that they need to understand and protect. Professor Mkhize said her central message was that the youth have a voice to facilitate the required action to deal with climate change. Climate change affects young people in various ways. The youth had the opportunity to discuss how climate change affects them academically and how it threatens their future job prospects, as some industries are also impacted by climate change. Professor Mkhize said both the government and the private sector have had to deal with the destruction of the infrastructure as a result of climate change.
Professor Mkhize said they decided to partner with the eThekwini Municipality to drive the point home. “Most of the interventions around climate change are from the municipality. The municipality plays a central role in addressing problems and providing solutions. For instance, the municipality mentioned that they provide ‘cooling spots’ to deal with heat stress,” said Professor Mkhize. Cities around the world provide cooling spots as climate change is a global problem.
The Head of Community Extension Department, Dr Eric Mthembu, also highlighted the need to get the youth involved in climate change. Dr Mthembu said climate change is here to stay. “We need to come up with strategies to deal with the problem. As youths, you need to be aware of climate change. This way, you will have more knowledge about the issue. You must know the causes of the problem and the actions needed to deal with it,” said Dr Mthembu. Dr Mthembu also added that the period from 2015 to 2024 has been described as the warmest time. He also pointed out that in South Africa, the climate change problem is exacerbated by the fact that at the southernmost point of the African continent, two oceans are colliding, which has adverse effects on the climate.
Among the youth that took part in the live conversation was Buhle Simelane, a fourth-year Environmental Health student. Simelane went to town with her contribution to the discussion, providing almost a thousand words to some questions posed to them as students. Explaining how climate change affects her personally, Simelane said “with the ever-increasing temperatures that result in extreme heatwaves and severe weather conditions, it makes it almost impossible for me to be productive throughout the day. I get frequent headaches that affect me from time to time, and I end up taking medication that has aftereffects like drowsiness which makes me fall asleep, waking up to a pile of assignments and deadlines I have to meet. Moreover, the fatigue that heatwaves come with is unbearable, especially in overcrowded spaces”.
Simelane also said that the unexpected severe storms and heavy rainfalls sometimes cause power outages. This makes it hard to do a lot of online tasks, and function more productively without electricity, she said. Lastly, Simelane said, she encounters problems when there have been floods, and she has to go back home during recess. She said the infrastructure is affected. “I get delayed, and this affects my academic performance as I end up missing the first days of study,” she said.
Smiso Bhengu, the Senior Climate Change Scientist at eThekwini Municipality, said that everyone has a role to play in mitigating the effects of climate change. Bhengu warned that when attempting to find solutions to climate change, care should be taken that such solutions do not have the negative effects. He said there must be a balance between the solutions sought, and continuing to provide the livelihood of the people.