South Africa: War On Hunger As Civil Society Takes On ‘Organised Economic Violence’
Thirty children die from malnutrition every day in South Africa. This week, the Union Against Hunger set out to say that this is not just a tragedy to mourn, but an act of unlawful government to fight.
South Africa produces enough food to feed everyone. The majority cannot afford to eat it. That contradiction sat at the centre of Food Justice Week, a series of pickets, dialogues, and community actions organised by the Union Against Hunger (UAH) from 25 to 30 May.
Across the week, Union Against Hunger members and supporters hold panels, discussion opportunities and pickets to consistently make the argument that hunger in South Africa is unacceptable and that we should realise it has identifiable causes, identifiable culprits, and legal remedies that have not been used yet.
At the Union Against Hunger’s Food Justice Week opening media briefing on 26 May, Zwelinzima Vavi, the General Secretary of the South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu), cited figures from the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group showing that the average household food basket now costs more than R5,400 per month, while a basic nutritious basket costs about R6,600.
The national minimum wage, he said, translates to between R4,800 and R5,800 a month, with electricity and transport consuming 58% of that before food is bought. The child support grant stands at R560 per month, nearly R300 below the food poverty line of R855.
By Daily Maverick.
