We are facing a doomsday of biblical proportions

Already, agricultural experts believe that in the not-so-distant future, the only families that will be able to feed their children will be those who plant and cultivate their foodstuff.

In fact, the grim prospect of our inability to do this in our own homes will add to the murmurs currently circulating unless authorities come up with remedial solutions to what many ordinary local folks believe could be the biggest human food tragedy since the story of the Xhosa female legend, Nonqgawuse.

Thousands of workers have lost their jobs while the number of employed family members dwindles every month. Life for many families has become an uphill struggle as thousands of consumers in households in the townships begin to feel the economic pressure as food prices shoot up.

Statistic figures shared by economic experts also attest to the fact that the country’s once buoyant and hyperactive job market has dramatically slowed to a grinding halt with thousands of jobs shed almost daily. This has been attributed to leaving thousands of workers unemployed and many more with no means to feed their families.

Most families say they fear that if nothing changes, soon, an even gloomier picture could loom even larger with the prospect of many families having to once again be forced to rely solely on food parcels for their sustenance and survival.

We were all there and we all know the embarrassing experiences many of the food-parcel recipients were subjected to during the Covid -19 outbreak. Many of the recipients were from indigent families who even though they were known and registered in their respective municipal wards, their food parcels ended up in other people’s hands.

On the other hand, economic experts warn the country of an uncertain future should the prevailing world situation, this includes the Russia/Ukraine conflict, the rising oil, and gas prices continue.

With job-creation prospects also casting a dark cloud over the employment front, job prospects for the unemployed in the country could remain unchanged in the near future.

Inside many homes in the townships, the situation is almost dire as reports of families going to bed without food. Some of the school-going learners have to abandon their academic dreams because one or both of their parents can no longer afford transport and school fees.

To survive, some families have resorted to embarking on small home enterprises such as baking scones which the man and his wife alternate selling at the local taxi rank every morning. Some of the struggling parents and families have embarked on other means to generate an income to put food on the table.

For others, the high petrol and diesel prices have seen more families grounded in their homes as they cannot afford the high price of gas. For men, even the casual once-a-month family treat of enjoying a meal at a restaurant has become a luxury many of them can no longer entertain.