People's Health Movement South Africa

16/10/2026

Today, 16 October 2026, the world celebrates World Food Day.
As the People’s Health Movement South Africa (PHM-SA), we are deeply dissatisfied with the rising cost of healthy foods in our country. To make matters worse, rising fuel prices offer little hope that healthy foods will become affordable soon. This means that a healthy diet is now a luxury for many South Africans.

In the past few years, we have seen soaring prices of nutritious food have placed it beyond
the reach of millions, forcing many to resort to cheaper, ultra-processed foods. This reliance
on unhealthy, processed foods has been scientifically linked to the alarming rise of non-
communicable diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancers.

It is unacceptable that, in a country where the right to food is enshrined in our Constitution,
access to healthy meals is becoming the privilege of the wealthy. Over the last decade, food prices have nearly doubled, leaving the poor with few options other than inexpensive, unhealthy alternatives. Yet, we are a nation capable of producing enough food for all.

According to Stats SA’s 2024 mid-year population estimation report, South Africa has a population of 63 million. Despite this, almost 20 million people living in South Africa (32%) go to bed hungry each day, and over 30 million (47.5%) face severe financial strain that threatens their ability to feed themselves and their families. South Africa faces record levels of food insecurity domestically. Adding to this crisis, a staggering 10 million tons of food — a third of our total food production—is wasted annually. And while families are chronically food insufficient, South Africa exports between 40 to 50% of food produced. In fact, in November 2025, it was reported that South Africa’s agricultural exports were booming, rising between 10 and 13% in 2025. This makes the disparity between abundance and deprivation an even graver injustice.

As we commemorate World Food Day, we cannot ignore these pressing challenges. Hunger, malnutrition, and non-communicable diseases are preventable, but only with the necessary political will and decisive action. We call on the government to take a firm stance and ensure that the fundamental right to food is fully realised for all South Africans. These can be addressed via:

1. Prioritising public health: We urge the government to allocate sustained and significantly more resources towards combating the non-communicable diseases that are responsible for the loss of millions of lives each year.

2. Addressing hunger and food insecurity: Immediate action must be taken to alleviate the hardship and hunger faced by millions of those living in South Africans who go to bed without food.

3. Ensuring access to healthy and affordable food: Government must guarantee access and incentivise the provision of nutritious meals for all citizens, regardless of their income.

4. We demand that fertile and appropriate land with access to water for irrigation be made available to communities, enabling people to grow their own food, increase food sovereignty, and reduce dependence on commercial food sources. Additionally, existing smallholder farmers and community gardening initiatives must be supported with essential resources—such as water, land, and tools—to ensure sustainable food production.

5. Ending monopolies in the food industry: The government must take action to break the monopolies in food processing and distribution. They need to regulate food prices to ensure fairness and affordability.

6. Identifying and taxing unhealthy food producers: We call for higher taxes on companies that produce and market unhealthy, ultra-processed foods that contribute to the rise in non-communicable diseases, and naming them.

7. Taxing non-essential agricultural production: Farmers who grow non-essential or luxury crops should bear higher taxes to encourage a shift towards essential food production, for example to***co and alcohol products.

8. Improving wages and social support: Decent wages and permanent, adequate social
grants are necessary so that all citizens can afford to buy healthy food for themselves and their families.

9. Addressing climate change: Climate change has had a devastating impact on food production. Urgent measures must be taken to address its effects, including supporting farmers in adapting to changing weather patterns.

10. Curbing food wastage: Strong policies must be drafted, engaged and enacted to reduce the waste of food across the supply chain and ensure that excess food is redirected to those in need.

We further believe that nutritious food is an essential Social Determinant of Health that
requires a multisectoral approach and not just leaving it to one department alone.

END.

Statement Issued by The People’s Health Movement South Africa on 16 October 2026

For comments Contact

Tinashe Njanji
Cell: 078 831 5809
Email: [email protected] Elroy Paulus
Cell: 67 586 0658
Email: [email protected]

14/10/2026

Health Rights Litigation Report: Summary of Health Rights Litigation in South Africa, 1994 - 2026

Since the dawn of democracy, South Africa’s Constitution has placed social and economic rights at the heart of transformation. The new Health Litigation Report, jointly compiled by HJI, PHM‑SA and CHASE‑SA, captures three decades of litigation that has advanced the Right to Health. From foundational cases like Soobramoney and Grootboom to struggles over ARVs, cancer care, mental health, and alcohol harm, the report shows how courts and communities have reshaped the meaning of health justice. By situating health within broader constitutional values of dignity and equality, and across fields such as environmental law, competition regulation, and administrative justice, this report demonstrates the systemic nature of rights enforcement. This is an essential resource for understanding how litigation continues to drive social justice in South Africa.
https://healthjusticeinitiative.org.za/2026/10/14/health-rights-litigation-report-summary-of-health-rights-litigation-in-south-africa-1994-2026/

(This report was prompted by a joint South African civil society and academic researchers’ submission to the UN Human Rights Council Advisory Committee on the Achievement of Social Justice through the Legal Enforcement of ESC Rights by National Courts on 30 April 2026, prepared by: Black Sash, CALS, CHR, Dullah Omar Institute, HJI, Professor Jackie Dugard, LHR, Professor Lilian Chenwi, and PHM-SA).

14/09/2026

Happening now: the David Sanders Lecture in Public Health and Social Justice. Watc the live stream here https://www.youtube.com/live/i5rKFL_9plk

08/09/2026

You are invited to the Annual David Sanders Lecture in Public Health and Social Justice on Monday, 14 September 2026 at 17:30 SAST. Hosted by the School of Public Health (SOPH) at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), this will be a hybrid event, with options to attend in person at SOPH or join online.

The Annual David Sanders Lecture honours the legacy of the late Emeritus Professor David Sanders, a founding member of the People's Health Movement and the founding director of SOPH. It recognises his profound contributions to UWC and to public health and social justice, both locally and internationally.

We would be delighted to have you join us for this special occasion to celebrate Professor Sanders' enduring legacy.

You can access the live stream HERE -https://www.youtube.com/live/i5rKFL_9plk and RSVP here https://tinyurl.com/3mn7457f

03/09/2026

Following the commitments made at the 3rd Nyéléni Global Forum in Kandy, the Peoples Health Movement (PHM) is launching a campaign against the privatisation of health.

We warmly invite Nyéléni members and allies to join this first online meeting, where PHM will:
Present the main objectives and key elements of the campaign;
Make a first call for Nyéléni members to join and contribute to the campaign;
Explain the rationale behind the selection of 10–12 countries where the campaign will begin;
Open the discussion for questions, comments and exchanges.

Date: 9 September 2026
Time: 15:00 Rome time
Online: Zoom

Register for the meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/H4_SyqQpQpKapoafS1ZQ5A
Simultaneous interpretation: English, French, Spanish. Other languages only upon request during registration

In solidarity,
On behalf of the Nyeleni secretariat

31/08/2026

20/08/2026

The People’s Health Movement (PHM) Southern and Eastern Africa invites you to a webinar to discuss the campaign to suspend the Israeli Medical Association (IMA) from the World Medical Association until it complies with its ethical responsibilities.

Organized by Doctors for Gaza (Netherlands), Global Health BDS (UK), Health Workers for Palestine (Spain), Sanitari per Gaza, and PHM, the IMA Out! Campaign calls for a boycott of the IMA due to its failure to uphold medical ethics, its refusal to speak out against the torture of Palestinian health workers, and its complicity in the genocide of the people of Gaza.

This campaign draws on historical precedent: during apartheid, the Medical Association of South Africa (MASA) was boycotted and pressured to leave the World Medical Association. Recently, both the South African Medical Association (SAMA) and the British Medical Association (BMA) severed ties with the IMA over its failure to condemn attacks on healthcare and violations of medical neutrality. Globally, thousands of healthcare workers have already signed the IMA Out! petition.

Please join us to uphold medical ethics and fight for Palestine.

Webinar Details:

- Date: Monday, August 31st
- Time: 15:00 Central African Time (CAT)
- Registration: tinyurl.com/IMAOut-SEAfrica (or via the QR code in the attached notice)

Please share this invitation with anyone who may be interested.

02/07/2026

This is a call on a leading child health and rights advocate to speak out about Dr Abu Safiya's ongoing unjust detention and victimisation

🥼 Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya's cruel detention has remained unspoken for by medical institutions. ✍🏼 Sign this petition to Boston College's director of Public Health to call on the medical community to speak up for their colleagues in Palestine.

01/07/2026

Healthcare professionals in South Africa raise alarms over a looming humanitarian crisis as escalating xenophobic violence forces vulnerable migrant communities into hiding, leaving them without essential medical care.

16/06/2026

📢 JOINT CIVIL SOCIETY STATEMENT | RESPONSE TO PRESIDENT RAMAPHOSA’S 7 JUNE 2026 ADDRESS ON MIGRATION📢

We welcome the President's unequivocal condemnation of xenophobia and his reaffirmation that immigration enforcement is a state responsibility grounded in the Constitution and the rule of law.

However, we raise serious concerns that certain elements of the address risk reinforcing harmful narratives around migration, particularly where irregular migration is linked, without sufficient evidentiary grounding, to service delivery pressures, unemployment, and criminality. In a context already marked by rising hostility and violence, such framing demands urgent caution and accountability.

We further call for evidence based migration governance, constitutional compliance in all enforcement operations and a human rights centred approach to asylum system reforms and labour policy changes currently under consideration.

South Africa’s constitutional commitment must be matched by consistent operational practice that protects dignity, prevents profilling, and ensures access to justice for all.

Read the full statement here: https://www.lhr.org.za/lhr-news/joint-press-statement-for-immediate-release-joint-civil-society-response-to-president-ramaphosas-address-on-migration/