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The report finds that Postmasburg experienced severe food insecurity exacerbated by the COVID-19 lockdown, with significant drops in formal and informal employment and a high dependency on social grants. It highlights that 60% of surveyed households were below the food poverty line even before the pandemic, and that food aid distribution was insufficient and plagued by a lack of transparency.

The report examines the fragility of South African urban food systems exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting how lockdown regulations biased towards formal sectors exacerbated hunger and inequality. It argues that local governments, despite lacking a discrete formal mandate for food security, are uniquely positioned to realize the right to food through urban planning, regulation of markets, and support for the informal sector. The document emphasizes that climate change further threatens these systems by disrupting infrastructure and increasing water scarcity, necessitating a shift in municipal governance from being mere regulators to becoming enablers of sustainable, inclusive food systems.