In a Jacana ‘Don’t Shut Up’ conversation with Maverick Citizen editor Mark Heywood, author Tracy Ledger explains the direct link between malnutrition and a propensity for violence. From abused farmworkers to a lack of coordination at all levels of government, the food system not only...
By Lelona Mxesibe - 27 August 2020 The Covid-19 pandemic has thrown the spotlight on the importance of the informal economy as a means of survival for South Africa’s 2.9 million citizens without access to formal employment – as well as their resulting vulnerability. This is another...
Through the past 5 months, Food Flow have spent over R1.6 Million in purchases from small scale farmers, fishers and producers supporting more than 400 livelihoods all while getting food into more than 30 communities in 3 provinces. The organisation's Impact Report tells the story of...
Obesity increases the risk of dying of Covid-19 by nearly 50% and may make vaccines against the disease less effective, according to a comprehensive study using global data. The findings, which the lead researcher described as “scary”, show that the risks for people with obesity are greater...
Yesterday (19 August 2020) the Food Lab together with Community Chest co-hosted a webinar considering the link between human and planetary health. Marcelle Mentor (from Columbia University) highlighted the critical importance of education when it comes to nutrition and noted that food insecurity is not...
It’s impossible to know how many people are now receiving food aid of some form in South Africa. Between countless soup kitchens, the innumerable NGOs, churches and community action networks providing food parcels along with government’s late-to-the-game food parcels, millions upon millions of hungry people...
A female farmer from Khayelitsha made headlines recently after advertising her fresh spinach on social media. by Erene Oberholzer A 27-year-old female farmer from Khayelitsha in Cape Town recently went viral in South Africa after wanting to ‘feed the nation one spinach at a time’. Yes, Ncumisa Mkabile went...
The Covid-19 lockdown is taking a potentially deadly toll on children, with reported child hunger on the rise and unemployment at a high. Spotlight takes an in-depth look at what this means for young children and asks the experts about potential solutions. In February, Spotlight visited...
By Gemma Ritchie for amaBhungane A bungled Sassa tender left confused service providers with warehouses full of food while also failing thousands of hungry South Africans. From November 2019 to the end of March 2020, Sassa delivered zero food parcels in six provinces despite the fact...
“The immediate impact of the public health crisis has revealed the deep fragility of the South African food system and exposed the injustices that underpin it. This has clearly been a disruption, presenting a period of deep uncertainty and change, creating an opportunity for a...