Kathrada Foundation: Let’s urgently get food to the less fortunate
The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation urged the citizens of the country to open their hearts to the plight of the poor and hungry and to give selflessly to those in need
The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, comprising religious leaders, civil society activists, sports personalities, academics and former political representatives, made a call on all South Africans to launch a national food security campaign as part of the fight against Covid-19 in South Africa.
In an earlier media release, the Foundation stated the country is still in the early days of the pandemic.
“We have not reached the peak yet. This health and social crisis will deepen in the near future. We will have to focus on food security to feed hungry children, the unemployed and the destitute; the distribution of sanitising materials; the distribution of personal protective equipment (PPE) to volunteers and medical personnel; and health care and support for the infected, seriously ill and those in the throes of death.”
This week, in a media release the Foundation stated: “There are clear signs of our people in distress and facing hunger due to the outbreak of the virus and the lockdown declared by the President.”
They urged the citizens of the country to open their hearts to the plight of the poor and hungry and to give selflessly to those in need in this hour of human solidarity and compassion.
The call for this campaign comes at a time where the coronavirus has led to over 1 585 South Africans being infected and the death figure already in double digits.
The national food security campaign drive is aimed at mobilising grassroot level players in response to the Covid-19 crisis as the growing signs of hunger among citizens throughout the country are climbing.
The efforts of these actions will strengthen the collaborative partnership with government at all levels to meet the daily food needs of people in communities during the lockdown period.
The directives to South Africans are as follows:
- establish local food committees composed of community leaders, activists and volunteers, which should galvanise ordinary citizens to donate food, and to ensure its distribution to persons and communities in need;
- support the work of credible NGOs and charitable organisations by giving donations in kind or cash to alleviate the plight of the poor and hungry; and
- to support the efforts of government, particularly at provincial and local levels, to provide food in communities, where needed.
Some South African leaders and other personalities who have endorsed this food security drive, including Kgalema Motlanthe (former President), Archbishop Thabo Makgoba (Archbishop of Cape Town), (Maulana) Ebrahim Bham (United Council of Muslim Theologians of SA), Zev Krengel (South African Jewish Board of Deputies), Ashwin Trikamjee (South African Hindu Maha Sabha), Dr Gustav Claassen (General Secretary: Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk), Sello Hatang (Nelson Mandela Foundation), Siya Kolisi (Captain – SA Rugby Team), Roelf Meyer (former Minister), Sophie Williams de Bruyn (former MP), Shauket Fakie (former Auditor-General of South Africa) and David Lewis (Corruption Watch).
The Foundation appealed to major food producers, manufacturers and distributors such as food chain stores, cash-and-carry outlets and supermarkets to donate food hampers and to sell food vouchers to the public, local food committees and reputable humanitarian bodies that already are doing sterling relief work in the communities.
“We believe that local food committees are best placed to co-ordinate multiple responses to food insecurity in neighbourhoods: get food faster to those in need due to limited mobility, unemployment and poverty; and to provide support to government efforts to fight the pandemic.”
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