The South African Human Rights Commission’s National Inquiry into Food Systems concluded with calls for better data tracking and a Maternal Support Grant to address child stunting, amid concerns over meeting President Cyril Ramaphosa’s 2030 target.
The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) wrapped up its seven-day National Inquiry into Food Systems, which highlighted persistent child stunting as a key issue. President Cyril Ramaphosa had pledged to end stunting by 2030, a commitment welcomed by civil society but now under scrutiny for implementation gaps. The inquiry heard from statisticians, workers, ministers and others, with stunting emerging as a recurring theme. Over 100 members of the Union Against Hunger demonstrated support on the final day, around 20 March 2026. Statistics South Africa reported 19.7% household food insecurity in 2023, up from 15.8% in 2019, affecting black African, coloured, female-headed and rural households most. Professor Julian May called stunting “a constitutional concern, perhaps even a constitutional crisis,” noting it has remained stable for over 30 years, with lifelong impacts like impaired cognitive development. The 2024 National Food and Nutrition Survey showed stunting at 28.8%, but South Africa lags in updating UN SDG data, last using 2016 figures. The Maternal Support Grant Advocacy Coalition proposed a nine-month grant from the second trimester, costing R2-billion annually at 80% uptake but saving R13.8-billion in health costs. A 2012 feasibility study exists, with Cabinet review in November 2024 deeming it unready; Unemployment Insurance Fund benefits exclude informal workers. The Children’s Institute at UCT noted a double burden of stunting (one in four children) and rising obesity, with only 400,000 of 1.1 million annual newborns accessing the Child Support Grant in their first year due to declining birth registrations. Minister Maropene Ramokgopa said her department would engage Social Development to track grant usage for food. Coordination across departments like Agriculture, Health and others remains challenging. The SAHRC will issue a report with recommendations.