Forget about Cuba, feed hungry South Africans – NPO’s to Dirco

A group of South African non-profit organisations are outraged by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation’s (Dirco) decision to donate R50 million to fight hunger in Cuba.

A coalition of hunger relief organisations launched a petition on 7 February, protesting against the R50 million donation. Close to 15 000 people and more than 60 organisations have since joined the campaign, “to object against the travesty and irony of millions of rands exiting South Africa while more of our own people suffer the injustices of hunger every day.”

When comparing the hunger statistics between the two countries, the Global Hunger Index (GHI) notes that Cuba has consistently scored “low” (less than 5) since 2005.

A GHI score of less than five indicates that less than 10% of the population suffers from hunger.

Hunger in Cuba stabilised at 2.5% since 2002, while South Africa is ranked 60th with a score of 12.9, which indicates a level of hunger that is “moderate”.

According to Worldhunger.io, 52.31% of South Africa’s population (30 896 447 out of 59 062 442) is food insecure. Meanwhile, 19.98% of Cuba (2 260 286 out of 11 311 641) faces food insecurity.

ALSO READ: SA’s R50m Cuba gift should never have been a priority, says economist

People who’ve signed the petition had this to say:

“Our money, Our taxes, should be used for Our people!! What does Mrs. Pandor not understand???” – Garth Luxton, Cape Town.

“It’s a reality… Especially in the townships and rural areas. Hunger is a big issue. Most of the parents is dependent on the SASSA grant. Unemployment hasn’t made it any easier. I seriously feel that our President Cyril Ramaphosa and his cabinet should visit townships and see how people are living. First sort your house out before beautifying someone else’s house. Your house is in need of a lot of rectification.” – Roger Reece, Port Elizabeth.

“Giving our taxes to Cuba does not make sense.” – Bob Corbett, Cape Town.

“The donation of R50 million to Cuban hunger relief is a symptom of a greater problem in South Africa. Government must prioritise addressing the cause of hunger and put short, medium and long-term measures in place to end hunger. It is a seemingly impossible task, but through collaboration between Government, civil society, entrepreneurs, academics and innovators, it is possible to end hunger,” Chef Coo Pillay, Chefs with Compassion.

“The Angel Network is an NPO committed to the upliftment of those most vulnerable in our country. During the past two years we have spent over R25 million on food relief and have fed hundreds of thousands across all 9 provinces. We have had to rely solely on private funding and donors, receiving no assistance from the Government,” Glynne Wolman, The Angel Network.

Petition to be handed to Dirco

The coalition consiting more than 60 organisations, representing the 15 000+ signatories and thousands more hungry people, will be delivering its petition to Dirco next Thursday, 24 February.

The coalition wants Minister Naledi Pandor and Deputy Minister Alvin Botes to redirect the R50 million towards an urgent, independent investigation into immediately actionable solutions to address the systemic causes of hunger at home.

It also wants President Cyril Ramaphosa to “treat hunger as the pandemic it is.”

Compiled by Narissa Subramoney

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