Mobilising for the realisation of the right to food in South Africa

Abstract

The realisation of the right to food in South Africa is characterised by some stark realities. While there is social security structure and large productive agriculture sector ensuring national food security, more than 14 million South Africans are chronically hungry. Given that access to food is an important legal and political issue in South Africa, it is important to understand the various factors, which enable or hinder the state‘s effort to eradicate chronic hunger. A major problem identified is the incoherence in government‘s policies, which on the one hand, supports the promotion of the right to food, yet, act to undermine it at the same time. This problem can be grouped under two headings. First, inadequate and fragmented food security polices, and poor implementation of these policies. Second, the exclusion of large sections of low-income groups from government‘s social protection programmes, which has negative implications for many women, men, and children who have an insufficient supply of calories. The impact of chronic hunger and malnutrition on these individuals include heightened vulnerability to illness, stunted growth among children, serious mental and physical effects among children, and in some cases death. This thesis explores the factors that explain the limited mobilisation around the realisation of the right to food in South Africa despite widespread chronic hunger. It considered various strategies to achieve a change in policy and legislation including lobbying and litigation. The thesis further explored why South Africa, which is riddled with numerous social protests rarely experiences food protests. Social protest, as used here, consists of struggles or resistance against government actions or inactions. The thesis identified various factors that have contributed to and acted as a hindrance against food protest in various jurisdictions and examined how these factors have prevented widespread food protest in South Africa.