PROJECT: THE HIDDEN CRIME OF HUNGER IN SOUTH AFRICA
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HOW HUNGER, MALNUTRITION, CORRUPTION AND FOOD INSECURITY FUEL CRIME
South Africans often associate crime with murder, robbery, hijacking, corruption, human trafficking, or cybercrime.
However, one of the greatest threats to our country's future is a crime that receives far less attention—
the systematic failure to ensure that millions of South Africans have access to adequate nutrition.
At Specialised Security Services (SSS), we investigate serious violent crime, organised crime, economic crime, and crimes against vulnerable people. We understand that crime does not exist in isolation. Poverty, hunger, corruption, unemployment, organised criminal activity, and failing infrastructure create conditions in which crime flourishes.
Hunger is not merely a humanitarian issue—it is also a significant crime prevention and national security issue.
THE FACTS:
South Africa produces enough food nationally to feed its population in most years.
However, food availability does not automatically mean people have access to food. According to the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), Statistics South Africa, and international agencies such as the World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF, millions of South Africans continue to experience moderate or severe food insecurity.
Current research indicates that:
Approximately one in every four South African children experiences food poverty.
Around 11 to 12 million South Africans experience moderate to severe food insecurity, depending on the survey and measurement used.
Approximately one in every five households regularly experiences inadequate access to food.
Nearly one in every three children under five suffers from stunted growth caused by chronic malnutrition.
Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) continues to contribute to preventable child deaths every year.
Although figures vary between studies, researchers consistently conclude that malnutrition remains one of the leading underlying contributors to child mortality in South Africa.
It is, therefore, misleading to state that exactly "30 children die every day from malnutrition."
Malnutrition is frequently an underlying or contributing cause rather than the sole recorded cause of death.
The evidence nevertheless demonstrates that the burden is substantial and largely preventable.
This crisis is occurring despite South Africa being one of Africa's largest agricultural producers.
WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT FROM A CRIME PERSPECTIVE:
Many people fail to appreciate the direct relationship between food insecurity and criminal activity.
When families cannot afford food, desperation often creates opportunities for criminals.
SSS has repeatedly observed that food insecurity contributes to:
Residential burglaries.
Theft of livestock.
Theft of crops.
Theft of irrigation equipment.
Fuel theft.
Copper cable theft.
Illegal occupation of property.
Armed robberies.
Illegal mining recruitment.
Gang recruitment.
Drug distribution.
Child exploitation.
Human trafficking.
Organised syndicate activity.
Organised criminal groups deliberately target vulnerable communities where unemployment and hunger make recruitment easier.
A hungry population is easier to manipulate.
THE BIGGEST CAUSES OF FOOD INSECURITY:
1. CORRUPTION:
Perhaps the greatest contributor is corruption.
Money intended for:
school nutrition programmes,
agricultural development,
municipal services,
food relief,
rural development,
infrastructure,
is frequently lost through corruption, fraud, procurement irregularities and poor governance.
Every rand stolen from public funds is ultimately stolen from South Africa's poorest citizens.
Economic crime has direct human consequences.
2. POVERTY AND UNEMPLOYMENT:
South Africa continues to experience one of the highest unemployment rates in the world.
Food may be available in supermarkets, but millions simply cannot afford it.
Food insecurity is therefore primarily an economic access problem rather than a national food production problem.
3. FOOD WASTE:
South Africa wastes an estimated 10 million tonnes of food annually, according to studies by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and partners.
Large losses occur:
during harvesting,
transportation,
storage,
retail,
restaurants,
households.
Reducing food waste alone would significantly improve food availability.
4. INFRASTRUCTURE FAILURE:
Road deterioration.
Water shortages.
Electricity instability.
Cold-chain failures.
Poor municipal management.
All contribute to higher food prices and reduced availability, particularly in rural communities.
5. CRIME AGAINST AGRICULTURE:
Agriculture remains one of South Africa's strategic industries.
Farm attacks, stock theft, equipment theft, arson, illegal land occupation, infrastructure sabotage, and organised agricultural crime all place pressure on food production.
Stock theft alone costs the agricultural sector billions of rand annually and is increasingly linked to organised criminal syndicates.
Protecting farmers is therefore not simply about protecting individuals.
It is about protecting national food security.
THE CONSTITUTIONAL RESPONSIBILITY:
South Africa's Constitution recognises food as a fundamental right.
Section 27 guarantees everyone the right to have access to sufficient food and water, subject to the state's obligation to take reasonable measures within available resources to progressively realise these rights.
Importantly, Section 28(1)(c) provides that every child has the right to basic nutrition, alongside shelter, basic healthcare services and social services.
South African courts have recognised that children's rights require particularly strong protection.
When children suffer preventable malnutrition, it reflects a failure that extends beyond healthcare into governance, public administration and social protection.
WHAT HAPPENS IF NOTHING CHANGES?
Although no one can accurately predict future numbers, existing trends indicate significant risks if corruption, unemployment, infrastructure failures, and food insecurity are not addressed.
Possible consequences over the next decade include:
increased food insecurity;
greater pressure on social welfare systems;
higher rates of child malnutrition and stunting;
increased organised crime recruitment;
higher property crime driven by economic desperation;
increased community unrest and protests;
greater pressure on law enforcement and healthcare services;
declining investor confidence in agriculture;
worsening rural insecurity.
These are not certainties, but they are foreseeable risks if current structural challenges remain unresolved.
WHAT CAN SOUTH AFRICANS DO?
Every citizen has a role to play.
SSS encourages South Africans to:
Never waste food unnecessarily.
Support legitimate food donation programmes.
Support local farmers and agricultural businesses.
Report stock theft and agricultural crime immediately.
Report corruption involving food schemes or public funds.
Support school nutrition initiatives.
Volunteer at community feeding programmes where possible.
Demand accountability from elected representatives.
Teach children the value of food and responsible consumption.
South Africa has fertile land, skilled farmers, advanced agricultural expertise and the capacity to feed its people.
The challenge is not simply food production.
It is corruption, economic inequality, poor governance, infrastructure decline, organised crime, and unequal access to food.
Every stolen government contract, every fraudulent tender, every theft from a feeding scheme, every attack on
agricultural production, and every act of corruption ultimately removes food from someone's table.
Hunger does not merely weaken the body.
It weakens communities.
It fuels crime.
It undermines education.
It destroys future economic growth.
It places children at risk.
Crime prevention begins long before an arrest is made.
It begins with creating stable, secure communities where people have opportunities, dignity,
and access to life's basic necessities.
At Specialised Security Services (SSS), we believe that protecting South Africa means more than investigating crime after it occurs. It means exposing the conditions that allow crime to flourish and encouraging practical action to strengthen our communities.
If you become aware of corruption involving feeding schemes, organised theft targeting the agricultural sector, food-relief fraud, stock theft, or any other serious criminal activity affecting food security, contact Mr. Mike Bolhuis and the specialist investigators of Specialised Security Services (SSS) for professional assistance.
Together, we can help protect South Africa's people, its farmers, and its future.
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Regards,
Mike Bolhuis
Specialist Investigators into
Serious Violent, Serious Economic Crimes & Serious Cybercrimes
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