There have been many changes in Southern Africa since 1994 when a democratic government was elected in South Africa. Prior to this date the neighbouring "Front-Line States" were in confrontation with the beleaguered Apartheid-Government and environmental issues, for example, were often seen to be of lesser importance. The eventual resolution of the "South African Question", however, paved the way for a variety of reforms in many sectors and the expansion of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) soon followed. This has led to some interesting changes in policy approaches and this paper looks closely at the way environmental issues are being regarded in the region. Essentially there are a number of agendas evident, some of which are quite dissimilar. These include the aims of the donor agencies, the different governments, the implementing authorities, the lobby groups and the communities affected. It is argued that there is a substantial gap in many cases between aims and reality, but that although there is still a considerable amount of "lip service", there is also a growing awareness of the importance of environmental issues. This paper, focusing on the urban transport sector, examines which strategies appear to be most successful in the developing country context and where policies can have the best impact in a climate of scarce resources.
Samenvatting