South Africa’s economic hub of Gauteng is grappling with high levels of poverty, affecting more than one million people, prompting urgent action from the provincial government.
The Gauteng Department of Social Development has launched a new food storage and distribution facility in Centurion as part of broader efforts to address food insecurity and poverty in the province. The initiative forms part of extensive poverty elimination campaigns, including the distribution of food parcels to vulnerable households.
Recent research indicates that over 16% of children in certain areas live in households with no income, with some relying on school nutrition programmes as their only decent meal of the day. Officials from the Department of Social Development and hunger activists have described the situation as unsustainable.
Speaking at the launch, Social Development MEC Faith Mazibuko emphasised the need for a fundamental shift. “We risk losing our identity of being a developmental state if we perpetually grow our social protection flow or provisions,” she said, noting that statistics show approximately 50% of the population receives a grant of one form or another. “What does that say to us?”
Mazibuko called the moment a potential watershed for access to food in South Africa, but stressed it would only be meaningful with collective action. “This should be a watershed moment… if civil society and if the media say it’s unacceptable that 30 children a day die because of hunger in our country. I’ll say that again: 30 children a day die with malnutrition as the direct or underlying cause of their death.”
She urged a move towards self-reliance, encouraging people to “work the land” and implement measures to protect crops. The food distribution programme has also generated job opportunities for unemployed youth, with the new centre expected to create sustainable employment while streamlining the collection, storage, and distribution of food supplies across the province.
The facility, described as the first of its kind in the country, will serve as a central hub to improve efficiency in delivering food parcels — which typically include items such as soya mince, canned fish, rice, mealie meal, peanut butter, and cooking oil — to those in need.
The launch aligns with the provincial “Fetsa Tlala – Leaving No One Behind” programme, aimed at strengthening food security and building a more caring and inclusive society through responsive social interventions. Gauteng authorities say they are racing against time to tackle the deepening poverty challenges in the region.