On 17 October 2024, SERI senior researcher Dr Yvonne Erasmus presented in the keynote plenary at the 5th International Social Justice Conference held at the Artscape in Cape Town. The conference was hosted by Stellenbosch University's Centre for Social Justice under the theme 'Social Justice and the Sustainable Development Goal on ZERO HUNGER'.
Yvonne spoke on a panel alongside Prof Thuli Madonsela (Professor of Law and Director: Centre for Social Justice, Stellenbosch University), Ms Nkatha Ntoburi (Regional Social Policy Officer, Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations), Dr Samkelo Bala (Lecturer and Researcher, University of Witwatersrand, South Africa), and Prof (Extraordinary) Scott Drimie (Southern Africa Food Lab, Faculty of Agrisciences, Stellenbosch University). Dr Nomakwezi Mzilikazi (Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Strategic Partnerships, Rhodes University) moderated the session.
The event brought together around 200 participants from government (both the South African government and ambassadors from various countries), academia, civil society, and the corporate sector. Yvonne drew on SERI’s work on food insecurity, the right to food, the experiences of those affected, and the remedies they seek. She highlighted some existing legal and policy gaps and reiterated that the right to food is a pressing social justice issue. As part of her presentation, she also played a video prepared for World Food Day on the 16th of October in which some of SERI’s partners discuss what food security and the right to food means for them.