The threat of global climate change to the world’s water resources has jeopardized access to clean drinking water across the world and continues to devastate biodiversity and natural life globally. South Africa operates as a useful case study to understand and analyze the effectiveness of public policy responses to the perils of climate change on issues of water access and ecosystem preservation. After the new South African Constitution was enacted in 1997, protecting water resources and ensuring their equitable distribution across the nation’s population was a paramount goal of the young democratic government. The National Water Act was passed in 1998, nationalizing the country’s water infrastructure and putting in place programs seeking to ensure equitable distributive and environmental outcomes. Thus far, it has failed. Access to South Africa’s water resources is as stratified as access to its economy; its aquatic ecosystems remain in grave danger; and many of the same problems of South Africa’s Apartheid era still plague its efforts to create an equitable water system. Decision-making power continues to be concentrated in the hands of the wealthy, at the expense of historically marginalized groups, whose voices are still not adequately heard. Corporate actors still exert undue influence over legislative policy that favors economic growth over environmental sustainability. The looming threat of climate change is exponentially increasing the chances of disasters like Cape Town’s 2018 feared ‘Day Zero’. The National Water Act’s noble intentions were never actualized, and therefore the people of South Africa remain in serious danger of acute and chronic threats to their water supply.

This thesis aims to analyze and discuss the issues regarding South African paleoanthropology and its relationship with systematic racism. This is done through a literature review of the book Darwin’s Hunch by Christa Kuljian as well as other articles by other academics. Two main themes are explored; theme one is racism and evolutionary essentialism and theme two is physical violence and theft. These themes and other issues continue into the discussion section, which features more of the influences that inspired this thesis including prior projects and a trip to South Africa.

HIV &AIDS is a global epidemic that has affected the lives of millions of people across the world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 37.7 million people were living with HIV in 2020. Sub-Saharan Africa has been particularly affected by the epidemic, specifically, the Southern and Eastern Africa region which accounts for the highest number of new HIV infections, the highest number of people living with HIV, and the highest number of AIDS-related deaths. Botswana, Eswatini and South Africa are countries located in Southern Africa and have been greatly affected by the HIV & AIDS epidemic as Botswana had the highest HIV prevalence from the late 90s to the early 2000s while Eswatini currently has the HIV highest prevalence rate, and South Africa currently has the highest number of people living with HIV in the world. This paper examines the HIV & AIDS health policies adopted by these three countries in their responses to the HIV & AIDS epidemic.