The purpose of the study was to determine the food security status of households in
a South African township of Kwakwatsi. The research methodology was undertaken
in two stages; firstly, a literature review was undertaken in order to provide a
theoretical perspective on household food security. Secondly, an empirical study
comprising of a household survey was undertaken. The household survey was
conducted among 225 participants of Kwakwatsi Township in the Free State
province (South Africa). Data was collected using a self-administrated-questionnaire.
The attainment of household food security is a major concern facing the world at
large, including South Africa. South Africa is classified as a middle income country
with large inequalities and absolute poverty. Although South Africa is nationally selfsufficient
in food supply, many households are vulnerable to food insecurity. Natural
disasters, population growth, low agricultural development, food prices, income
inequalities, poverty and health issues are the main causes of household food
insecurity in the world.
The method of data analysis was two-fold: firstly, the Household Food Insecurity
Access scale (HFIAS) developed by the USAID was used to determine the food
security status of households in Kwakwatsi. Secondly, a logit regression model was
used to estimate the socio-economic and demographic variables that determine the
food security status of households. According to the HFIAS classification measure,
approximately 51.1% of households were categorised as food secure, 8.9% as mildly
food insecure and 10.7% as moderately food insecure and 29.3% as severely food
insecure. Food insecurity was mostly associated with female-headed households
than male-headed households.