T Joemat-Pettersson: Northern Cape World Food Day commemoration

16 October 2007

Programme Director (MEC Molusi)
Honourable MECs, Selao-Binase, Madikane
District Mayor of Pixley Ka Seme, Ms Jenkins
Mayor of Umsobomvu, Ms Hermans
All councillors
Senior managers in all spheres of Government
Representatives of the financial sector
Representatives of community-based organisations and non-governmental
organisations
Officials in all spheres of Government
Representatives of all food security projects
Women's groups
Learners
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen

Just over five years ago, South Africa hosted the World Summit on
Sustainable Development (WSSD), which largely focused on improving the plight
of the world's poor through firm commitments by various governments and
stakeholders.

In qualifying the link between food insecurity and sustainable development,
I wish to quote our Premier Dipuo Peters when she said at last year's World
Food Day commemoration: "The severity of hunger as a socio-economic danger;
undermines health, education, productivity, and environmental
sustainability".

Despite Africa having experienced pockets of success in addressing the
plight of its chronically malnourished and poverty-stricken masses, over 840
million people across the world are still afflicted by hunger.

Clearly, we are not acting in unison; some governments are still endangering
the planet through their industrial activities that are exacerbating climate
change and endangering our ability to feed those who cannot feed
themselves.

It is for this reason that we ought to hail statesmen like our President
Thabo Mbeki and others for pursuing such matters with the world's super-powers.
We extend our deep gratitude to President Mbeki for his visionary
leadership.

Programme Director,
Today, South Africa joins over 150 countries in flagging the call to make "The
Right to Food" a reality in the 21st century. This day, World Food Day 16
October, challenges us to re-assess our efforts in reducing poverty by half in
line with the Millennium Development Goals.

The theme for this year, "The Right to Food," encourages us to add impetus
to the mobilisation of resources towards eliminating the scourge of hunger and
malnutrition. It reminds us of our legal and moral obligation towards the
poverty stricken in our midst.

Ladies and gentlemen, without any doubt South Africa, as a partner to the
International Alliance Against Hunger and having hosted the WSSD talks,
continues to hasten and deepen the sustainable development process for a better
life for all. This is well reflected in the delivery voyage of the Northern
Cape government led by Premier Peters.

Hence each year when we commemorate World Food Day, we highlight our stance
in promoting the right to feed oneself in dignity in an effort to remedy the
right to be fed. This is mirrored in our focus of mobilising communities to
participate in food security projects that are based on promoting sustainable
livelihoods.

This approach has yielded much desired success with communities yearning to
be taught how to feed themselves than to be fed. This is indeed an awakening to
avoid going cap in hand to our former colonisers for food aid.

We have crystallised our political commitment to end hunger through the
Integrated Food Security and Nutrition Programme (IFSNP) championed by the
Department of Agriculture and Land Reform and supported by Departments of
Health, Education, Social Services and Population Development and Water Affairs
and Forestry.

The total food security allocation of the Departments of Agriculture and
Land Reform, Health, Education and Social Services and Population Development
for this financial year stands at R83 401 000

1. The Department of Agriculture and Land Reform

* R4,7 million for this financial year on food security projects aimed at
increasing household food production, improving income generation and job
creation opportunities, improving nutrition and food safety. Over three
thousand beneficiaries benefited. The Department has spent R17 million since
2004.

2. Department of Social Services

* Allocations made since inception of the IFSNP, R41 723 600 which includes
R11 128 000 allocated for this financial year. The Department's social
development trajectory covers community food gardens, drop-in-centres and soup
kitchens targeting women, orphans and vulnerable children, youth, people with
disabilities, people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.

3. Department of Health

The Department's Integrated Nutrition Programme's contribution to food
security covers the following:
* Targets clients who attend health facilities and are found to be malnourished
or at risk of becoming malnourished, is operational at all the Primary Health
Care facilities in the province. For this financial year, R2 million was
allocated for food supplementation at Primary Health Care facilities. Over R8
million had been spent since 2004 benefiting more than 10 000 patients.

4. Department of Education

The School Nutrition Programme provides employment to over a thousand women
who prepare meals for learners. The figure for this financial year is R65 373
400 catering for 244 000 learners. The allocation also makes provision for the
establishment of food gardens at schools.

Ladies and gentlemen,
These deliverables are further demonstrated through today's unveiling of the
R100 000 revitalisation of Noupoort's Sikhulule Poultry (previously received
R300 000) and the handing over of 12 male goats to four co-operatives by the
Department of Agriculture and Land Reform. The co-operatives are Nomzamo,
Siyazama, Kuyasa and Vukuzenzele.

In conclusion Programme Director,
Let me again remind you of what the Premier said last year, "fighting poverty
and ending poverty is a humane act, it is like working for God". As God fearing
citizens, I trust that many of us shall act upon this call of humanity in
embracing "The Right to Food," in a world that has an abundance of food.
Indeed, a world in which one person out of seven is said to be chronically
hungry.

Again, let us grant all support to our African Heads of State, President
Thabo Mbeki and his honourable equals, as they forge ahead in finding workable
solutions to Africa's food insecurity status through the New Partneship for
Africa's Development's (Nepad) Agriculture Unit. The task at hand is that of
increasing food supply, reducing hunger, and improving responses to food
emergency crises.
Let us soldier on for a day in which no African and none of mankind shall go to
bed hungry. Hence we extend our best wishes to the United Nations' Food and
Agriculture Organisation (FAO) on the different global festivities that they
are spearheading beyond this day. They are the ones that are guiding us in
making a difference.

Enkosi!

Issued by: Northern Cape Provincial Government
Date: 16 October 2007
Source: Northern Cape Provincial Government (http://www.northern-cape.gov.za/)