Selo sa pele sa nomoro ya pele: Kamoo UBIG e ka thušago go fenya tlala

The document examines the link between income poverty and food insecurity in South Africa, arguing that while the country produces enough food, millions lack the means to afford it. It advocates for a Universal Basic Income Guarantee (UBIG) as a primary tool to ensure all citizens can meet basic nutritional needs, thereby reducing malnutrition, stunting, and the long-term economic costs associated with hunger. The text contrasts cash transfers with food vouchers, arguing that cash is more efficient and supportive of local economies. It also emphasizes that UBIG should be part of a broader policy response including a 'just food transition' to address climate change and systemic food system failures.

• South Africa experiences a paradox where the country is food secure at a national level, yet millions of households suffer from food insecurity due to income poverty and unequal distribution.
• Official data indicates significant levels of food insecurity: in 2023, 23.1% of households had 'moderate' food insecurity, and 13.5% of households reported at least one member experiencing hunger.
• Malnutrition and stunting in South Africa are severe, with 28.8% of children under five being stunted, which exceeds the global average of 22.3%.
• Hunger and malnutrition create long-term economic burdens, including reduced educational attainment, lower productivity for adults, and increased healthcare costs; for example, the World Bank estimated a loss of US$1.1 billion (0.3% of GDP) in 2009 due to iron deficiency alone.
• Existing social grants in South Africa, such as the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant, have shown positive impacts on food security, with 93.3% of SRD recipients using the grant to buy food.
• The document argues that cash transfers are superior to food vouchers because vouchers are administratively complex, potentially distort market competition by favoring large retailers, and based on the false premise that poor people lack the knowledge to buy nutritious food.
• While UBIG is a critical tool for affordability, it must be paired with a 'just food transition' (JFT) to protect the food system from climate change and address the market power of large retail chains.

APA

Institute for Economic Justice (2024). Selo sa pele sa nomoro ya pele: Kamoo UBIG e ka thušago go fenya tlala. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IEJ-UBIG-Factsheet-11-Sepedi.pdf

Chicago

Institute for Economic Justice. Selo sa pele sa nomoro ya pele: Kamoo UBIG e ka thušago go fenya tlala. 2024. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IEJ-UBIG-Factsheet-11-Sepedi.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Economic Justice |title=Selo sa pele sa nomoro ya pele: Kamoo UBIG e ka thušago go fenya tlala |date=October 2024 |url=https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IEJ-UBIG-Factsheet-11-Sepedi.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforeconomicjustice2024selo, author = {{Institute for Economic Justice}}, title = {{Selo sa pele sa nomoro ya pele: Kamoo UBIG e ka thušago go fenya tlala}}, institution = {Institute for Economic Justice}, year = {2024}, month = oct, url = {https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IEJ-UBIG-Factsheet-11-Sepedi.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }