Thousands of Gauteng residents are going hungry despite being listed as beneficiaries of provincial food support, with the DA blaming the Gauteng Department of Social Development’s (GDSD) decision to centralise food banks for worsening access to assistance.

The crisis is laid bare in the State of Household Food Insecurity in South Africa 2026 report, which shows that hunger across the country is structural, chronic and severe.

About 70% of surveyed households experience moderate to severe food insecurity, while roughly one in four reported going an entire day without food at least once, despite receiving some form of support through community networks.

The report points out that in Gauteng, and particularly in urban centres such as Pretoria and Johannesburg, the impact is intensified by high living costs and heavy reliance on cash income.

Local data before the 2026 report found that about 45% of households in Pretoria experienced food distress, with around 32% facing severe food insecurity.

More recent surveys by Statistics South Africa show that 11.4% of households in Pretoria experienced moderate to severe food insecurity in 2023, up from 9.5% in 2022, with 4.7% classified as severely food insecure.

Against this backdrop, DA MPL Refiloe Nt’sekhe said the provincial government’s restructuring of food distribution has deepened hardship rather than eased it.

“The findings from the 2026 Household Food Insecurity Report confirm that hunger in Gauteng is deepening, not because we lack resources, but because of a poorly conceived centralisation process,” said Nt’sekhe.

The GDSD shifted to a model that centralises food banks and distributes parcels through food distribution centres.

She argued that the contrast between high parcel volumes and low household uptake suggests transitional disruptions and accessibility challenges following centralisation.

The DA has repeatedly raised concerns about this anomaly with MEC Faith Mazibuko, warning that removing community-based non-profit organisations from direct food distribution would create bottlenecks and distance the department from vulnerable communities.

“We cautioned MEC Mazibuko that centralisation is not the solution,” Nt’sekhe said.

She said the result is that food parcels may be counted in provincial reports while families remain hungry at home.

The crisis also stands in stark contrast to commitments made by Premier Panyaza Lesufi during his State of the Province Address, where he declared it compulsory for the Gauteng government to protect the weak, poor and vulnerable.

“The premier said it is compulsory to protect the weak and the poor, but this administration is clearly harming them,” Nt’sekhe said.

The 2026 national food insecurity report highlights that children, youth-headed households and those reliant on informal employment are bearing the brunt of rising hunger.

Many cope by skipping meals or relying on poor-quality diets lacking nutritional value.

In Gauteng, broader provincial figures show that more than one in 10 households can be considered severely food insecure, and 26% report that adults have skipped meals due to lack of money.

In densely populated urban areas, the problem is compounded by high transport costs and limited access to land for subsistence food production.

The DA is calling for a review of the centralised model and a return to a more decentralised, community-driven system that partners closely with local NPOs.

As the province grapples with rising unemployment and persistent inequality, the debate over food distribution is likely to intensify. For Nt’sekhe, the numbers already tell a compelling story that distribution volumes have increased, but access has weakened.

“Until government aligns logistics with real community access, hunger in Gauteng will continue to deepen,” she said. “By implementing proper supply chain management alongside careful planning and execution, we can prevent delays and make food parcels more reliably accessible, ultimately ending hunger.”

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