The JustGESI team held its first in-person workshop in Cape Town from 6–9 October 2025, hosted by the African Climate and Development Initiative at the University of Cape Town. Researchers and practitioners from six countries and diverse disciplines examined GESI policies in national energy strategies, identified policy-practice and data gaps, and reflected on what it takes to advance just, inclusive, and sustainable energy futures.

As part of the JustGESI annual meeting in Cape Town this October, our team visited Langa Township to learn from its histories and present realities. Drawing on this experience, Dr Rihab Khalid reflects on how the legacies of apartheid urbanism continue to shape everyday lives in the township, reminding us that the questions of energy justice are inseparable from issues of space, place, memory, and care.