13th May 2016
Unite against hunger
national Peoples DROUGHT speak out and bread march memorandum
The
South African Food Sovereignty Campaign is an alliance of over 50 grassroots
organisations, movements and NGOs. We believe South Africa’s food system is
unjust, unfair, unethical and unsustainable. The current food price shock, El
Nino induced drought and carbon emissions due to coal burning are all
connected and are revealing the limits of a corporate controlled and government
supported food system. We need a transformed food system that gives control of
the food system to the people through a food sovereignty pathway and
alternative now to realise the right to food.
This
was affirmed by our jointly convened peoples Speak Out in Emahlaleni yesterday
and at this morning’s Drought Speak Out at Constitutional Hill. Hence we demand
urgent action from government, food corporations, the Human Rights Commission
and the Consumer Commission. In this
regard we want the following concerns and demands taken forward.
Bread Price Scam
Bread is eaten by most South Africans
as a staple. In a highly unequal society, studies on the survival strategies of
poor households reveal how bread and a brew of sugar and water is what keeps
many people alive. At the same time,
bread is a big money spinner for food corporations, both bread producers and
retailers. Bread profiteering was rife in 2007 and 2010 amongst bread producers. Pioneer, Tiger Brands and Foodcorp were found
guilty of manipulating wheat and maize milling operations by the Competition
Commission and were even rebuked in the Constitutional Court for their
abhorrent conduct. Bread prices have
also been increasing in the context of the drought. A loaf of brown (700g) increased by 5.73 % and a loaf of white by 5.34%.
Blue Ribbon bread prices have gone up 20% over the past 8 months. South
Africans mainly eat bread on a daily basis and they are feeling the pressure
from increasing prices. This was affirmed by our Peoples Speak Outs hosted over
the past day and a half. Food corporations make millions from bread which
contributes to profits, bonuses and high salaries for management. At the same
time, food industry workers earn low wages and are mainly outsourced.
However,
Grain South Africa has confirmed that imported wheat is cheaper than local
wheat. Bread prices should not be going up but should be declining. We are
experiencing a ‘bread price scam’. The Competition Commission has failed to
stop this. Some retailers believe that keeping bread price increases below food
inflation is acceptable. We reject this profiteering given the crisis facing
our society. It’s time for peoples power,
through non-violent action, to end food profiteering
We Demand:
·
An immediate investigation into the ‘bread price scam’ by
the Human Rights Commission and the Consumer Commission;
·
We demand bread prices must fall to an affordable level of
at least R5 per loaf to ensure every household can buy bread;
·
All bread nutrition levels to be improved. We reject GMO
wheat and its use in bread. This to be done in a transparent manner;
·
A reduction in super profits to food corporations and
descent insourced work for all food industry workers.
Climate Change, Drought and Food Price
Increases
The
drought in South Africa is actually part of a larger Africa wide drought. In
Southern Africa at least 49 million people are threatened with hunger because
of this drought. In East Africa the drought has also had a devastating impact
with about 10 million people needing food aid in Ethiopia. Such drought
patterns are expected to become more frequent and intense in the context of
climate change.
South
Africa’s El Nino induced drought is exposing serious weaknesses in the states
response. While South Africa has experienced El Nino induced droughts before,
this particular drought is linked to the worsening climate crisis. Last year
the world’s temperature increased by 1 degree celsius and recorded the hottest
temperatures on the planet. This trend is continuing. While the state is responding to commercial
farmers it is not doing enough for small scale farmers and poor communities. Our
Speak Outs have confirmed the following:
· small
scale farmers were struggling before the drought but the drought has worsened
things included financial problems;
· there is a lack of effort on governments part
to mobilise communities;
· government is failing to assess small scale
farmer needs adequately such that food parcels even for livestock are not
sufficient;
· there is no clear response on how to bring
back cultivation of food crops;
· water management is revealing serious
weaknesses with some support for
boreholes, pumps but most are not getting adequate support for sustainable
water management;
· there is no government policy thinking on how
to mitigate impacts beyond the immediate effects of the drought; and
· increasing
food prices are hurting even farming households.
The
state is also not using the Disaster Management Act in a way that mobilises
society to learn about the climate crisis, strengthen water management plans
and draw out lessons for the future. South Africa’s drought is affecting
millions of people and increasing starvation. Coal burning and extraction is
killing us. Our Speak Outs confirmed:
· Coal mining is devastating communities. Acid mine drainage,
air pollution, water pollution and mine dumps are causing serious illness;
· Coal and other types of mining is leading to land grabs;
· Water resources are captured by coal mining corporations or
white farmers making it extremely difficult for small scale farmers and
communities to survive;
· Coal and other types of mining is not creating jobs, it is
not benefitting communities and instead promotes prostitution and poverty.
· Mining corporations are not complying with regulations and
neither are they rehabilitating land that has been mined.
Climate change is further exposing the
problems with a corporate controlled food system. Before the drought 14 million
people went to bed hungry and about 46% were food insecure. Many more are
suffering now as food prices have been increasing. All measurements of food
prices are showing a dramatic increase in food inflation, with year-on-year
increase of particularly staples. The year-on-year increase for Jan 2015 to Jan
2016 was 14.6%. The biggest increases have been in mielie meal, samp, cooking
oil and potatoes. Food profiteering denies us the right to food under the
constitution.
Moreover,
food inflation has eroded the value of social grants. According to PACSA the
total of old age pension (R1510 in April/October
2016) comes short in terms of the
current cost of a food basket
(R1879.24 in February 2016). Moreover, a minimum food basket (household of 4)
costs R2420.77 in February 2016. In South Africa 27 million people earn less
than R3000 per month and with food price increases, particularly of staples,
hunger is going to worsen. Already 1 in
5 children suffer from malnutrition and learning disabilities. Food
profiteering undermines the future of our children
We Demand:
· We demand
that the price of all staples fall to
affordable levels;
· The government
declare the drought a national disaster with special measures taken to ensure
food and livestock production for subsistence and small scale farmers is
recovered. We reject GMO seeds, including drought tolerant maize, and these
should not be part of government support.
· We invite
government into a peoples climate justice movement led process to learn lessons
from this drought including the importance of independent and permanent
community based food sovereignty forums and a serious review of the Disaster
Management Act;
· An
immediate transition out of coal mining
and a lifting of the ceiling on renewable energy in the Integrated Resource
Plan, the development of a national renewable energy parastatal and the
development of a domestic renewables industry as part of creating climate jobs;
· An
increase in the social grant in the short term to ameliorate the impacts of
food inflation, as opposed to spending on nuclear power, and the social grant
to be replaced by the development of a basic income grant policy for South
Africa;
· The
democratisation of water management plans in municipalities and for these to
become people driven and owned;
· A review
of all water licenses given to mining corporations to ensure compliance and
where necessary to revoke such licenses if sustainable water use standards are
not met.
· Farming
land must be protected from mining.
Towards Food Sovereignty Alternatives
and Pathways
South
Africa needs to diversify its food system and ensure the people can control the
food system to survive the climate crisis and feed themselves in sustainable
ways. In this regard we want to announce four further actions to advance a food
sovereignty pathway for South Africa:
·
Local Bread Marches - In coming weeks the SAFSC will be rolling out at
least 12 localised and non-violent bread marches to bread corporations and food
retailers. We will use these marches to create a platform to communicate the
demands from the National Drought Speak Out and Bread March.
·
The development and advocacy for a food sovereignty law – to secure a space for agro-ecology, fast track land reform,
seed saving, community bakeries, community food markets and cooperative
restaurants, solidarity economy worker cooperatives etc.
·
Local Food Sovereignty Forums – in communities to develop capacities to build
resilience, food sovereignty pathways and cultures.
·
Building food sovereignty movement links in
Southern Africa – through
learning exchanges, food sovereignty festivals and information sharing
Unite against Hunger and Food Profiteering!
Turn Down the Heat Through Food Sovereignty
Forward to a Peoples Movement for Food Sovereignty and
Climate Justice Now!
Contact :
Davine Cloete: 071 5922 361
Vishwas Satgar: 082 775 3420
Xolisa Bangani: 081 414 8411
No comments:
Post a Comment