Food, Safety, and Freedom: food security is a right not a privilege.

Post-1994 South Africa came with a promise of democracy, freedom, security and equality entrenched within the constitution. Despite this promise daily food remains elusive to millions. South Africa's agricultural sector contributes significantly to its  economy, as it is one of the key exporters of maize, citrus and wine across Africa and other international markets. The disconnect between the country's agricultural abundance and the persistent hunger in households, especially in rural and farming areas shows the systematic violence that continues to burden those that are far removed from the state and its resources.

Feminization of poverty is engraved in the lived realities of poor populations within South Africa, this continuous experience of oppression underscores food security as a social justice and human rights issue, intersecting with legacies of apartheid engulfed with racial segregation, economic discrimination against the black body and other systematic injustices that plague our society.

At the 5th International Social Justice Conference and the 6th Zero Hunger Summit that took place on the 17^th and 18^th of October 2024 at the Artscape theatre in Cape Town, the central theme of SDG 2—Zero Hunger—took center stage, urging nations to treat food security as a core element of social justice. For South Africa, this call to action resonates deeply. Post-apartheid policies promised an era of equality and dignity; however, the South African Constitution lacks explicit guarantees around food security as a right. This omission has left millions, especially in rural and impoverished areas, vulnerable. According to Stats SA 2023 food remains inaccessible to a significant portion of our population with 2,6 million people having inadequate access to food and 1,1 million with sever inadequate access to food, with poverty disproportionately affecting women, who bear the brunt of food scarcity as primary caregivers.

One of the fundamental lessons from South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was that peace cannot flourish in a society crippled by deprivation. The TRC may have set a path for political reconciliation, but the economic and social conditions of marginalized communities remain unchanged. Today, female headed households are more food insecure than male headed, the National Food and Nutrition Security Survey captured that male headed household that were food insecure 59,1% while women were 68.7. This disparity is not accidental; it's the outcome of entrenched structural violence, where economic policies have prioritized profit over people, especially those on the margins.

According to findings from an ongoing study by the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation on the intersection of Gender, Hunger and Peace, interventions that respond to food security are temporary and rapid response interventions like soup kitchens and food parcels. Although these interventions respond to immediate needs of hunger, they are not sustainable because of multiple factors like inconsistent funding.

Food insecurity in women-headed households, where poverty levels are high, highlights the intersection of gender, hunger, and peacebuilding that has become more urgent as we reflect on the 30 years milestone in our democracy. Literature on GBV shows that economic dependence on perpetrators often keeps survivors and victims in abusive relationships. Thus, advocating and emphasising the intersectionality of gender, hunger and peace calls for sustainable in addressing food insecurity as a hard security issue. Furthermore, while campaigns to reduce meat consumption and promote plant-based diets are growing in global discourse, they overlook the economic realities of rural communities, where protein sources like meat and poultry are essential for nutrition and practicality. Vegan alternatives, often costly and inaccessible, are unrealistic for many South African families living below the poverty line. Such discourses overlook the everyday realities of many South Africans especially those living below the poverty line where they depend on animal-based foods and traditional ways of living, therefore this intervention further oppresses the population. This disconnect calls for interventions that reflect lived realities rather than universal dietary recommendations that may not be feasible for these communities.

The government must address these gaps and ensure that food security is a central part of our national agenda, with community-led programs that are not vulnerable to funding fluctuations but are instead supported by durable policy frameworks.

Food security needs to be enshrined as a right, providing a firm foundation for addressing the inequalities that intersect with hunger, including gender and socioeconomic status. Reflecting on these three decades, we are reminded that freedom alone has not guaranteed justice, dignity, or peace for all. In these times of reflection, let us push for policies that address food security as a cornerstone of social justice, meeting the lived needs of our people with both empathy and urgency. Because in a truly free and equal South Africa, no one should have to go to bed hungry.

This op-ed was originally published by News24