As a result of South Africa recording its first COVID-19 index case in March 2020, the country imposed one of the strictest lockdowns globally. The lockdown unearthed vital lessons that climate practitioners both in South Africa – the largest emitter of greenhouse gases on the African continent – and globally can draw from to facilitate the achievement of the thirteenth Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 13). Drawing on secondary data analysis of media reports regarding South Africa’s strategy to tackle the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, with particular emphasis on the hard lockdown, three themes emerged. These were rephrased to align appropriately with the discourse on climate change (CC). These include changing the distant framing narrative of CC, prioritizing green growth and utilizing credible messengers. Each theme is discussed critically in terms of how it will aid climate policy developers and practitioners in facilitating the attainment of SDG 13.

由于南非在 2020 年 3 月记录了首例 COVID-19 指数病例，该国实施了全球最严格的封锁之一。封锁揭示了重要的经验教训，南非（非洲大陆最大的温室气体排放国）和全球的气候从业者都可以从中汲取教训，以促进实现第十三个可持续发展目标（SDG 13）。通过对有关南非应对持续发生的 COVID-19 大流行战略的媒体报道的二级数据分析，特别强调硬封锁，出现了三个主题。这些被重新表述以与气候变化 (CC) 的讨论相一致。其中包括改变 CC 的遥远框架叙事、优先考虑绿色增长和利用可靠的信使。