Public Statement: Demand for Supermarket chains and government to enable people’s pantries and solidarity buying

To:
Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, President, Republic of South Africa
Ms Angela Thokozile Didiza, Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, South Africa
Mr Ebrahim Patel, Minister of Trade and Industry, South Africa
Mrs Nosiviwe Noluthando Mapisa-Nqakula, Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, South Africa
Mrs Barbara Creecy, Minister of Forestry and Fisheries and Environmental Affairs
Mr Yusuf Kalla, CEO Cash n Carry
Mr Peter Engelbrecht, CEO Shoprite
Mr Guy Hayward, CEO Cambridge Food Subsidiary of Massmart
Mr Brian Coppin, CEO Food Lover’s Market
Mr Mitchell Slape, CEO Game
Mr Richard Brasher, CEO Pick n Pay
Mr Graham O’Conner CEO Spar
Ms Zyda Rylands CEO Woolworths South Africa and Mr Roy Bagattini, CEO Woolworths Holdings Limited
Background
The South African Food Sovereignty Campaign has been campaigning against food injustices in the country for the past 6 years. In this time, we have hosted a hunger tribunal with the Human Rights Commission, drought speak outs with local communities, a bread march, food sovereignty festivals and have actively advanced food sovereignty pathways in communities, villages, towns and cities involving small scale farmers. As the drought worsened we also developed a Peoples Food Sovereignty Act (available here: https://www.safsc.org.za/peoples-food-sovereignty-act/ ). We handed this to parliament and seven government Ministries. Up to now there has been no serious consideration of such a peoples driven approach to food sovereignty. Food security is not enough to address the systemic crises of our food system. In 2019, 14 million people went to bed hungry. Women have been at the frontline of this crisis through skipping meals, rationing food in their families and sharing whatever they can through community solidarity. Read More