FACING THE HEAT IN SOUTH AFRICA

156pp., colour illus., paperback, Emancipatory Futures Studies, Johannesburg, 2026

ISBN: 9781067235291

This collection of photographs of extreme weather events and their aftermath, taken across South Africa by Vishwas Satgar over a ten-year period, documents the country’s deepening climate crisis, as well as the social consequences of these events.

"There are people and more than humans behind the numbers, families behind the statistics, livelihoods, dreams, and hopes behind all the scientific projections. Facing the Heat's evocative imagery brings their stories to the fore, making the drought-stricken, the flood-affected, the tornado-impacted and all the climate-harmed speak. Through a decade of documentation, this book not only captures the deep scars left by worsening climate shocks but also the urgency to unite for transformative climate justice resistance." Charles Simane, Membership and Communication Secretary, Climate Justice Charter Movement

"This photographic exposé is a call for urgent action now to prevent climate famine. Facing the Heat amplifies the urgency of transitioning South Africa's food system towards decarbonised, agroecological community-led food systems that are rooted in care for people and planet. It helps us understand that preparing for a 1.5C overshoot is not only about the energy transition, but about transforming how we produce, share and value food in the deep just transition. This is all about food sovereignty." Qhawekazi Mahlalela, National Coordinator, South African food Sovereignty Campaign

Vishwas Satgar is Professor of International Relations, editor of the Democratic Marxism series, and principal investigator for the Emancipatory Futures Studies in the Anthropocene project at the University of the Witwatersrand. A veteran activist, he is co-founder of the South African Food Sovereignty Campaign and Climate Justice Charter Movement. His recent publications include A Love Letter to the Many - Arguments for Transformative Left Politics in South Africa; Digital Capitalism and its Limits - Technotopia, Power and Risk and Worker Cooperatives and Deep Democracy - Transformative Politics and Planetary Care from Below (with Michelle Williams).