FW de Klerk Foundation calls for urgent action to address food insecurity in SA

15 October 2024

The FW de Klerk Foundation is gravely concerned about the escalating food insecurity crisis in South Africa, as highlighted by the National Food and Nutrition Security Survey (“NFNSS”). With approximately 20 million people — 63% of households — experiencing food insecurity, the situation represents, not only a humanitarian crisis, but a profound governance and constitutional challenge.

Section 27(1)(b) of the Constitution guarantees the right of every South African to access sufficient food and water. The fact that 17% of households are critically undernourished is an alarming violation of this right. The NFNSS findings show that many South Africans are forced to reduce meal sizes or skip meals altogether, which contravenes the government's constitutional obligations to safeguard citizens' basic human rights.

Ismail Joosub, Manager of Constitutional Advancement at the FW de Klerk Foundation, stated, “The persistence of hunger on such a scale reveals a systemic failure in resource allocation and governmental planning. Section 195 of the Constitution calls for accountable and effective public administration, yet the government's approach to food security has been fragmented and ineffective. The situation demands a coordinated, evidence-based strategy to ensure that vulnerable communities can access sufficient and nutritious food.”

While the government has initiated several food programmes, the lack of a focused strategy has resulted in millions of South Africans continuing to suffer. The NFNSS survey underscores the stark reality that, in provinces like the North West, more than half of the households face moderate to severe food insecurity. Additionally, the waste of nearly a third of the country’s annual 31 million tonnes of food production highlights inefficiencies within the food supply chain.

Christo van der Rheede, Executive Director of the FW de Klerk Foundation, emphasised, “The disparity between food abundance at the national level and severe hunger at the household level underscores critical issues in food distribution and management. It is time for government, civil society and the private sector to collaborate to reduce food waste, improve supply chain efficiency and increase support for smallholder farmers and agribusinesses, which are key to ensuring food security. The national budget allocation for agriculture, the use of these funds in terms of land reform projects, support to the entire agricultural sector to bring down the cost of production and put cheaper food on the table of South Africans must be reviewed as well!"

The FW de Klerk Foundation urges the government to prioritise the development and implementation of the National Food and Nutrition Security Plan for 2024–2029, with a focus on district-level interventions, as highlighted by Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen. A whole-of-society approach is necessary to combat this crisis, including reducing food waste, improving the traceability of food in terms of supply chains and enhancing support for local agricultural initiatives.

In line with section 28(1)(c) of the Constitution, which mandates the government to provide for the well-being of children, it is especially crucial that food security interventions target vulnerable households with children, who are most at risk of the long-term effects of malnutrition.

The FW de Klerk Foundation calls on all stakeholders to act decisively in addressing this national crisis. South Africa’s governance, economy and human rights obligations demand that urgent measures are taken to ensure that no South African starve.

Issued by FW de Klerk Foundation, 15 October 2024