Hundreds march to Parliament over El Niño and hunger

Protesters demand urgent action on climate change and food insecurity during a march on Friday. Photos: David Harrison

• Protesters marched to Parliament on Friday to demand the government take urgent action to mitigate the impact of the climate crisis and El Niño conditions. These pose a growing threat to food systems across Southern Africa.
• They also called on government to support food hubs in every ward, build buffer stocks for a national food reserve and speed up land reform for small-scale farmers.
• The march was organised by the Climate Justice Charter Movement and the South African Food Sovereignty Campaign.

Hundreds of people marched to Parliament on Friday, demanding action on the climate crisis and unfolding El Niño conditions, which pose a growing threat to food systems across Southern Africa.

Friday marked World Food Day. The march was organised by the Climate Justice Charter Movement (CJCM) and the South African Food Sovereignty Campaign (SAFSC). It started on the corner of Hanover and Christiaan streets in District Six and ended outside Parliament.

“It is high time. For too long, poor small-scale farmers, impoverished communities have been entrapped in poverty, and we’re saying enough of the injustices, inequality and unfairness,” said Wendy Roebeck from the CJCM.

A memorandum was handed over, addressed to Speaker of the National Assembly Thoko Didiza and to the ministries of agriculture, environment, employment and labour, and finance. It calls on government to trigger the Disaster Management Act to prepare for El Niño, and to support food hubs in every ward, build buffer stocks for a national food reserve and speed up land reform for small-scale farmers.

The group also want offshore oil and gas exploration and extraction to stop.

The organisations also want the adoption of the Climate Justice Charter, endorsed by almost 300 organisations, which was handed to Parliament in 2020. There has been no resolution on this yet.

Officials from several government departments listened to protesters.

Ntombizanele Bila-Mupariwa, head of the Department of Water and Sanitation in the Western Cape, said the minister had already detailed the challenges of El Niño to Cabinet, along with proposed actions.

In September, Cabinet said an interdepartmental technical team was “already working on an integrated coordinated response” to the potential impact of the anticipated 2026/27 El Niño on water security.

The Climate Justice Charter Movement and ally organisations marched to Parliament to mark National Day of Action to End Hunger and Stop Climate Harm on Friday.

Mfuneko Toyane, representing the finance ministry, said that the National Treasury has been taking measures to respond to climate change and the looming El Niño.

Samuel Maifadi, acting chief director for poverty alleviation, sustainable livelihoods and food security at the Department of Social Development, said the department was continuing its efforts to address hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition, and that it recognised the importance of protecting vulnerable communities.

“There’s a big disconnect in terms of how the state is responding, providing support and engaging with these conversations,” said Qhawekazi Mahlalela, national coordinator of the SAFSC.

She said the campaign works with small-scale farmers, fishers and everyone in the food system. Many people on the ground were doing great work trying to hold food systems up from the ground, she said.

But government was not speaking about food sovereignty and was silent on food justice. What it was speaking about was superficial and surface level, she said. “These conversations should be mainstream within our government, civil societies and within our communities,” she said.

Small-scale farmer Charmaine Diniso said farmers were facing weather-related challenges, including chickens dying. “It was very powerful to join this march because there were speakers that said beautiful things about the environment and food security,” said Diniso.

The Climate Justice Coalition was one of several organisations that participated in Friday’s march.

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