The world commemorates World Food Day today and yet, some people in South Africa will go to bed without food.
Minister of Social Development Bathabile Dlamini was recently qouted by media saying South Africa has reduced poverty statistics in the past 20 years.
Yet, the statistics indicate that over a quarter of the population still lives in food insecure households, which regularly experience hunger, according to South African Civil Society Information Services (Sacsis).
The fire that engulfed Pipeline Informal Settlement in Kya Sand has prompted civil organisations and councillors to sound a call to the public to donate food, clothing and any useful items to the destitute people of this area.
Stephen Thomas of 1in1out organisation says some corporate organisations in the country are reluctant to help people in the informal settlements.
“Our organisation works with the Lindelani Informal Settlement in Zandspruits and it is sometimes difficult to get sponsors. We give food and clothes but I think we need to give seeds for people to plant and grow their own vegetables,” remarks Thomas.
Ward 96 Councillor Matome Mafukwane pleaded with public to donate anything that could help people of Kya Sand.
Corné Engelbrecht of Refilwe Community Project argues that feeding a child is one thing, making sure they are well nourished is another.
“A human being that is malnourished will find that their body is in a physical dilemma. They struggle to do normal things such as growing and resisting diseases. For adults, physical labour becomes an issue and even learning abilities with children become a problem.
Malnourished women that are pregnant also have risks and many of them cannot be sure of producing nourishing breast milk that a new- born child so desperately needs,” argues Engelbrecht.
In its newsletter, the Sacsis argues that a quarter of the population lives in households, which are at risk of hunger and that is over 26 million people who are either experiencing or at risk of experiencing hunger.
“This awful statistic is mainly due not to a lack of food availability, but to limited economic access to food among the poor. Between 2008 and 2014, the cost of a basic food basket rose from R336 to R480 per month,” according to Sacsis.
Thomas further added that his organisation will visit people of Kya Sand on 25 October to deliver some food with help of Brightwater Commons’s management, which is based in Ferndale.
Details:The South African Civil Society Information Service www.sacsis.org.za or Stephen Thomas of 1in1out organisation 011 793 1917;
Corné Engelbrecht of Refilwe Community Project www.refilwe.org or Corne Engelbrecht 084 580 8883.
