Stats say that 9,342,000 people went hungry in 2023. Behind these numbers are parents who go to bed on an empty stomach so their children can eat.
Children from poor communities arrive at school hungry and find it hard to concentrate, their futures are already compromised before they even begin. Poor families are trapped in impossible choices: pay rent or buy food. Keep the lights on or put bread on the table. Truly speaking, hunger is rapidly deepening in black communities. For many in this country of plenty, the cost of survival now exceeds their means.
This crisis is not about food shortages; SA produces enough food to feed its population. The trouble is permanent visitors from neighbouring countries, undocumented immigrants. Another problem is the distribution of food. Our present systems prioritise profit over people. And the constitution is clear: access to food is not a privilege, it is a fundamental human right. Yet, for millions of South Africans, this right remains out of reach. – Bushy Green, Kagiso
READER LETTER | Improve food distribution to ward off hunger
Stats say that 9,342,000 people went hungry in 2023. Behind these numbers are parents who go to bed on an empty stomach so their children can eat.
Children from poor communities arrive at school hungry and find it hard to concentrate, their futures are already compromised before they even begin. Poor families are trapped in impossible choices: pay rent or buy food. Keep the lights on or put bread on the table. Truly speaking, hunger is rapidly deepening in black communities. For many in this country of plenty, the cost of survival now exceeds their means.
This crisis is not about food shortages; SA produces enough food to feed its population. The trouble is permanent visitors from neighbouring countries, undocumented immigrants. Another problem is the distribution of food. Our present systems prioritise profit over people. And the constitution is clear: access to food is not a privilege, it is a fundamental human right. Yet, for millions of South Africans, this right remains out of reach. – Bushy Green, Kagiso