In this month’s Virtual Critical Dialogue our guests will explore, unpack and expand on South Africa’s food security crisis. They will look at the repercussions of food insecurity, assess the impact of COVID-19 on South Africa’s agricultural sector, ask whether the way we access food puts the nation at risk and share some of the solutions & mechanisms that have been put in place in order to protect our country’s most vulnerable people.
Coming out of more than a month of hard-lockdown has meant millions of South Africans have been unable to go to work, secure an income and provide basic necessities for their families.
The past few weeks has seen the looting of supermarkets & spaza shops, and widespread protest across the country; but it’s also seen an upsurge in comradery and brought forth a sense of ubuntu, that is uniquely African.
All of this, in response to one major problem: Hunger!
Dr. Thulasizwe Mkhabela is a Group Executive: Impact & Partnerships. He started his journey with the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) on the 18th June 2018.
Before joining the ARC, Dr. Mkhabela was Acting CEO at the AgriBusiness Development Agency (ADA) and also occupying as Chief Operation Officer. Prior positions were Managing Director at Outcome Mapping, Senior Researcher at the National Agricultural Marketing Council, Lecturer at the University of Stellenbosch and Senior Researcher, Soil Science at the Department of Agriculture in KwaZulu – Natal.
Dr. Mkhabela holds a PhD Agric: Agricultural Economics degree from the University of Stellenbosch.
Lorenzo Davids is an experienced Chief Executive Officer with a demonstrated history of working in the civic & social organization industry. Skilled in Nonprofit Organizations, Corporate Social Responsibility, Grant Making, Fundraising, Event Planning, Coaching, and Nonprofit Consulting. A strong business development professional with a BA Hons focused in History from the University of the Western Cape/Universiteit van Wes-Kaapland.
He is a global leader in social development who has worked for decades to tackle the root causes of poverty and to improve the lives of the underserved. His work helps address the stark inequities left behind by apartheid in South Africa.
“I believe that our connected innovation, connected intelligence, connected influence and our connected integrity will build a safer, united and better world for all,” he says.
Marius Oosthuizen teaches leadership, strategy and ethics, and heads up the Future of Business Project that uses strategic foresight methods and scenario planning to explore the future of South Africa and Africa.
Marius is a graduate of the Oxford Scenarios Programme at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, UK. He holds a Masters in Strategic Foresight from Regent University, Virginia Beach, USA and a Masters in Applied Social and Political Ethics from St. Augustines College, Johannesburg, as well as a Honours Bachelor in Systematic Theology from the University of South Africa (UNISA).
He is currently working towards a PhD in Public Leadership from Stellenbosch University’s School of Public Leadership. Marius regularly works with business leaders, policy makers and civil society activists in South Africa and abroad, using his expertise in stakeholder dialogue, scenario planning, strategic foresight and systems thinking.