‘WE'LL KOS A SCENE’

MENSE nationwide are signing a petition calling on the government and retailers to bring down rising food prices as South Africans face a daily battle to feed their families.

An alliance of academics and activists called United Against Hunger (UAH) is leading the charge and hopes to collect about 100 000 signatures as part of its campaign to reduce food prices. 

The KZN-based organisation stated that many families are no longer able to feed themselves, and children are starving, with a loaf of bread starting from R10 for mense on a R370-a-month Social Relief of Distress grant.

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.

He explains: “The petition is going slower than we had hoped, but we are beginning to engage communities, going door to door.”

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, as malnutrition significantly impairs physical and cognitive development, increases mortality risks and undermines long-term educational and economic outcomes.

The organisation believes, based on studies by universities, that if food could be made available to poorer people, malnutrition could be significantly reduced. 

Heywood 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.

Heywood hopes to pressure government into passing legislation to prevent food waste, reduce food prices, 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. 

He says: "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.

“The well-being and nourishment of families should not be a matter of compromise, and that is why we would support any move to ensure food accessibility for households."