Food Security Crisis Amid Covid-19 In South Africa
In their 2017 food security report, Statistics South Africa released about 6.8 million South Africans which experienced starvation. According to Stats SA in a recent report, “over 2.2 million jobs have been lost” without a chance of bouncing back should lockdown allow full economic participation.
The Covid-19 global pandemic has not only inlaid suffering to millions of families around the world, but also depressed the world economy severely. In a struggling economy like South Africa, the effects of the pandemic has been extremely dire which has also proved by the recent 30.8% unemployment rate report by Stats SA. According to Stats SA,” South African population is closing to 60 million people” and the 30.8% of the population is without income. This number excludes those who can’t work for different reasons ranging from physical disability that earn government grant. The first victims of hunger in a food security crisis is the poor.
In one of the most highly populated and poverty-stricken townships in Cape Town, Khayelitsha hunger is real. In the course of my research I met Nomsa Mbangata(43) who effortlessly took me to one of their vegetable growing garden initiatives as unemployed residents to put food on the table for their families. She is a mother of six, a widow and has been unemployed for six years, the death of her husband brought a big change in their lives as he was a self-employed Mechanic.
According to the project manager the project is voluntary, and all volunteers survive by growing these vegetables also selling them within the community and vendor stalls. It carries about 35 volunteers and feed about 80 families within the townships. The volunteers includes youth and elderly pensioners.
Its projects like these that makes a difference within communities which the government needs to pay attention to. In speaking to the project manager Sinethemba Makana, he said “it’s difficult to get a sponsor from the government because of the growing number of projects like these and charity organizations”. As a Journalist within the City making these stories known would play a significant role to attract possible sponsors for these food projects.
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