By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI
22 October 2025- The Republic of South Africa (RSA) president, Cyril Ramaphosa said last week, the 7th Social Justice Summit, organised by the Centre for Social Justice at Stellenbosch University, reflected on the country’s progress towards achieving food security as a key component of social justice. Ramaphosa said government, policy makers, academia and civil society organisations, discussed what they must do to ensure that no South African goes hungry and to chart a new course as countries of the world strive to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
He further said the centre has developed the Musa Plan, which aims to use data-driven research and collaborative resource mobilisation to end poverty. Ramaphosa added that overcoming poverty and tackling the cost of living for South Africans is one of the strategic priorities of the Government of National Unity (GNU).
“Access to nutritious food directly affects the physical health and development of individuals and societies. Around 15 to 16 million people in South Africa have inadequate or severely inadequate access to food.
“South Africa is amongst 29 countries where the right to food and water is enshrined in the Constitution, and where citizens have resources in the legal system to ensure that this right is enforced. Our Constitution imposes a duty on the state to take reasonable legislative and other measures, within its available resources, to progressively realise this right,” he said.
Ramaphosa said since the advent of democracy in 1994, successive administrations have adopted a multifaceted approach to tackling hunger and food security. He said this has included legislative and policy reform, nutrition at primary healthcare level, and programmes that deliver nutrition directly to communities and institutions, such as the school feeding scheme.
“To further bolster food security, the provision of social grants, free basic services, free basic and tertiary education, and free primary healthcare have freed up money in households to buy food.
“In South Africa, the social wage accounts for approximately 60% of spending by the Government before interest payments. This is amongst the highest of upper-middle income countries. A 2021 World Bank report noted that South Africa’s system of programmes were effective, well-targeted and provided sizable benefits to the poorest households,” said Ramaphosa.
He said their social assistance system “effectively reduces poverty and inequality rates”. Ramaphosa said the School Nutrition Programme has been one of the most far-reaching and transformative policies implemented under democracy to address poverty.
“This programme provides nutrition to more than 9 million learners from poor households on a daily basis. The provision of meals at schools, with nutritious ingredients sourced from school and community food gardens, has had a positive impact on learner attendance, concentration and overall academic performance.
“The long-term impact of this programme is evident. Last year, learners from the poorest schools, 60% of schools, accounted for 67% of all bachelor passes achieved. Supporting communities to grow their own food has been an integral feature of the Government’s food security strategy,” he said.
Ramaphosa said provincial agricultural departments run programmes across the country to support school, household and community food gardens, and provide implements like seedlings, tools and training. He said despite a range of interventions by national and provincial governments, a large portion of South African households are food insecure.
“In a context of high unemployment and poverty and limited economic growth, many households across the country are finding it difficult to afford nutritious food. It is, therefore, necessary that together with measures to eradicate extreme food poverty, we have to also look at market factors that are making the cost of nutritious food increasingly out of reach.
“According to Statistics South Africa data, annual inflation for food and non-alcoholic beverages continues to rise. Last month, headline consumer inflation hit a 10-month high. Meat and vegetables are more expensive, putting household food budgets under pressure,” said Ramaphosa.
The Guardian 