Urgent petition launched in South Africa to tackle soaring food prices
Image: Armand Hough: Independent Newspapers
A nationwide petition has been launched calling on the government and retailers to intervene to bring down rising food prices as South Africans are facing a daily battle to feed their families.
The action has been brought by United Against Hunger (UAH), which hopes to collect about 100,000 signatures as part of its campaign to reduce food prices. The organisation stated that many families are no longer able to feed themselves, and children are starving.
The petition has also been linked with door-to-door campaigns, with affiliates of the union visiting homes to collect signatures and brief residents on the issues of hunger and malnutrition among children. The petition was launched as part of the World Hunger campaigns.
Mark Heywood, the leader of UAH, stated that the petition aims to encourage large retailers making significant profits to respond to the moral needs of their customers or to get the government involved in regulating food prices.
"The petition is going slower than we had hoped, but we are beginning to engage communities, going door to door in KwaZulu-Natal. Abahlali BaseMjondolo (the shack dwellers' movement) is visiting homes, collecting signatures, and engaging with communities on issues of malnutrition," he said.
The 2024 General Household Survey, which was released last week revealed that nearly 14 million South Africans, equivalent to almost a quarter of all households, faced daily hunger last year.
The data showed that 22.2% of households reported inadequate or severely inadequate access to food, with the Northern Cape (34.3%), Eastern Cape (31.3%), Mpumalanga (30.4%), and KwaZulu-Natal (23.9%) the most affected provinces. Children are particularly vulnerable. Malnutrition significantly impairs physical and cognitive development, increasing mortality risks and undermining long-term educational and economic outcomes.
Heywood said: 'By the age of five, 29% of children have experienced malnutrition and are stunted as a result of not having sufficient food. We know that there are several causes of hunger, and they are complex, but one of the biggest causes is the prices and profiteering off essential foodstuffs."
He added that the organisation believes, based on studies by universities, that if food could be made available to poorer people, malnutrition could be significantly reduced. He said they wrote to the CEO of one of the major food stores, urging the company to reduce prices on essential food items for children developing in the early stages of their lives. He emphasised that big companies in the retail sector can afford to reduce prices and are currently making huge profits.
"Everyone has a right to sufficient food; that is a constitutional right. If companies that set high food prices are violating the realisation of those rights, then we say the government must regulate not just the quality of food but also the affordability of food to ensure that people in this country do not go hungry. Hunger is a human rights violation; it is not something that we should subject people to because our country produces a surplus of food," he said.
Heywood suggested several interventions that can be undertaken, including:
Pass legislation to prevent food waste.
Reduce food prices
Introduce legislation to prevent food wastage
Set up a National Food Security and Nutrition Council and finalise the National Plan on Food Security and Nutrition in consultation with communities.
Mervyn Abrahams, director of the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group, stated that the calls for food prices to be reviewed are genuine. The group has been assessing food affordability for the past few years.
"As we have demonstrated before through our Household Affordability Index, food prices continue to rise both on a monthly and annual basis, making it difficult each and every day for many families, especially those in the low-income bracket, to buy essential food items."
He added, "We have been consistent in calling for transparency in the food ecosystem primarily out of concern that big business is driven by the sole desire to make profit. This concern arises from an appreciation that when profits are prioritised above everything else, families find themselves having to make difficult choices and compromises when it comes to buying food because of high prices."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
10 hours ago
- IOL News
The shadows of human trafficking loom large in South Africa
This week, the recent observance of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons has amplified calls for urgent action against human trafficking in South Africa, a crime that is claimed to take advantage of the most vulnerable members of society. In a significant effort to address this critical issue, Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Andries Nel recently launched Local Task Team Offices, aimed at bolstering anti-trafficking initiatives at ports of entry. This initiative is backed by a newly established policy framework designed to enhance the country's collective response to trafficking. Highlighting the impact of ongoing efforts, Nel pointed to the rescue of 234 identified trafficking victims over the past year. 'These are 234 lives saved, and there are many more whose lives are affected by trafficking,' he emphasised. The urgency of the situation is reflected in alarming global statistics; the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reported a 25% increase in detected trafficking victims worldwide in 2024, with children making up 38% of those affected. According to Nel, Africa has become a significant source and destination for trafficking, with South Africa serving as both a source and transit hub. 'As a source country, South Africans are trafficked domestically and internationally. As a transit country, traffickers use our borders to move victims from neighbouring countries to other destinations,' Nel stated. He said in an encouraging development, South Africa's efforts to combat trafficking have led to an upgrade in its status from Tier Two Watch List to Tier Two in the 2024 US Department of State's Trafficking in Persons Report. In the current financial year alone, 32 new trafficking prosecutions have been initiated, with 67 ongoing cases involving 156 accused individuals currently before the courts. The collaborative ethos of this fight was echoed by Jason Cogill, CEO of the National Freedom Network (NFN), during this year's Human Trafficking Awareness Week, who emphasised the need for shared commitment: 'To effectively combat human trafficking, strategic networking, collaboration, and partnership are needed. Together, we are stronger. Together, we can end trafficking.' One story that highlights the gravity of the issue shared with the Saturday Star is of a young woman named Thandi, given to protect her identity from a small town in the Eastern Cape. Thandi was lured by a false promise of a job in the city and found herself trapped in a brothel, her freedom violently taken. After several harrowing months, she was identified as a trafficking victim during a police raid and brought to safety. "Those first weeks, I was so scared and broken. But the social workers and ladies at the safe house, they became like my sisters. They helped me see I still had a future," she shared her harrowing experience. Rescue was just the beginning of Thandi's road to recovery. Through the NFN's network, she entered a specialised aftercare shelter where she received medical attention and trauma counselling to begin healing the invisible wounds of abuse. Dr. Juliet Sambo, a lecturer at the Department of Social Work and Criminology at the University of Pretoria, shed further light on the complexities of trafficking. Sambo notes that economic disparity, alongside inadequate law enforcement, creates an environment where organised crime thrives. 'Official statistics are unreliable, obscuring the true scale of trafficking,' she explains, noting that women and children are disproportionately affected, making up 55.5% and 44.5% of victims, respectively. The horrific case of six-year-old Joshlin Smith, who went missing in February 2024, starkly illustrates the crisis. Sambo warns that trafficking is intimately tied to other illicit activities, with the internet playing a pivotal role in recruitment and exploitation. 'Human trafficking persists in South Africa due to a combination of gender inequality and economic instability,' she argued. Saturday Star
TimesLIVE
12 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Five things to know about deputy chief justice Dunstan Mlambo
President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Dunstan Mlambo as deputy chief justice with effect from Friday. At 65, Mlambo brings nearly three decades of judicial experience and a lifetime of legal activism to his new role. Here are five things to know about the new deputy chief justice. 1. A legal career grounded in public interest and transformation Before joining the bench in 1997, Mlambo worked as a public interest and trade union lawyer, beginning as a legal assistant in the KaNgwane government. He later joined the Legal Resources Centre in 1987 before making a rare transition into corporate law, becoming an associate partner at Bowman Gilfillan in 1993. In 1995, he cofounded Mlambo & Modise Attorneys. His rise to the judiciary began with an appointment to the labour court and he later served in the Gauteng High Court (2000), Supreme Court of Appeal (2005) and as judge president of the labour court (2010) before assuming leadership of the Gauteng division of the high court in 2012. 2. Leading South Africa's busiest court division As judge president of the Gauteng High Court covering both Johannesburg and Pretoria Mlambo oversaw the country's most complex and demanding judicial workload. He led the division with innovation and foresight, introducing initiatives like the re-establishment of the commercial court in 2018 and mandatory civil mediation in 2025 to address case backlogs. His tenure also saw the creation of two new stand-alone high courts in Limpopo and Mpumalanga, an expansion of access to justice that many see as one of his most impactful legacies. 3. Key judgments that shaped jurisprudence Mlambo is more than an administrator — he's an influential jurist who has authored several landmark decisions: President of the Republic v Public Protector: Held former president Jacob Zuma personally liable for legal costs related to the 'State Capture' report. MultiChoice v NPA (Oscar Pistorius case): Allowed for the broadcasting of the high-profile trial. SAPS v Solidarity obo Barnard: Upheld affirmative action as a justifiable measure to address past discrimination — later affirmed by the Constitutional Court. These judgments reflect Mlambo's commitment to transparency, equality and the transformative spirit of the constitution. 4. A vision for transformative and accessible justice In his recent Judicial Service Commission (JSC) interview, Mlambo outlined a progressive vision rooted in the belief that South Africa's constitution must be a tool for economic justice. 'I think we adopted what is called a progressive constitution that seeks to uplift the blight of people,' he said, advocating for 'carefully crafted litigation' to dismantle bottlenecks that keep South Africans trapped in poverty. He also criticised Rule 46A, which allows banks to repossess homes, arguing that 'as a judiciary, we need to find a way of reforming these legal rules that form part of this conservative legal culture'. Mlambo is also a proponent of legal reform through technology and training, calling for a mediation act and suggesting the adoption of AI-driven legal tools as used in Brazil to boost efficiency. 5. Ethical leadership and accountability Mlambo has served on numerous local and international legal boards, including the Centre for the Advancement of Community Advice Offices (CAOSA), the International Legal Foundation and Africa Legal Aid. His ethical compass was evident when he revoked the appointment of an acting judge over sexual harassment complaints and supported chief justice Mandisa Maya's proposed sexual harassment policy. As he steps into this new chapter, all eyes will be on how he continues to reshape the country's legal landscape from one of the highest seats of judicial power.
The Citizen
14 hours ago
- The Citizen
KZN department to crack down on illegal RDP house sales
KZN human settlements has vowed action against individuals selling RDP houses to illegal foreign nationals. The KwaZulu-Natal department of human settlements has promised to act firmly against individuals selling RDP houses to illegal foreign nationals. The department has received complaints from community members and councillors about people selling RDP houses built by the department. 'In particular, there has been a groundswell of complaints about the sale of RDP houses to illegal foreign nationals in various parts of the province,' MEC for transport and human settlements Siboniso Duma said on Thursday. Beneficiaries selling RDP house to illegal foreign nationals Representatives from the March and March movement also sent the MEC a letter asking him to intervene in the issue. March and March is a non-governmental organisation campaigning against the employment of undocumented foreign nationals in South Africa. The MEC said he would act firmly against any forms of criminality in the interests of innocent communities. ALSO READ: Activists, unions welcome SIU's investigation into corruption in the City of Mbombela 'We are building houses for South Africans who are in need of shelter, not for the generation of profit by greedy and irresponsible individuals,' Duma said. He called on the people of the province to stand with the department in publicly denouncing this 'irresponsible and greedy' act. 'For the record, as the department, we will never turn a blind eye to complaints and expressions of anger against the use of RDP houses for illegal activities such as selling drugs and hideouts for hit men and other criminals,' the MEC said. Houses can't be sold within first eight years of ownership without permission Selling an RDP house within the first eight years of ownership without permission from the department is a criminal offence. Those who are doing it will forfeit their houses. According to the Housing Amendment Act, the department of human settlements should be contacted by any beneficiary who plans to sell an RDP home during the eight years. The department will inherit the property and work with the municipalities to hand it over to a qualifying member of the community on the waiting list. ALSO READ: Department of human settlements warns of online house scams 'We undertake to work with the South African Human Rights Commission, Public Protector and Auditor-General of South Africa on this matter,' Duma said. 'We want to account for every cent to South Africans and to show public accountability.' The department said it would work with law enforcement and urged anyone with information about the illegal sale of RDP houses to use the following call centre numbers: • WhatsApp: 060 1055505 • Toll-free: 080 005505
