With all that is happening around the world, several families in Pretoria have been plunged into distress and hunger, sparking fears of eventual starvation due to the strict lockdown regulations imposed by the government to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
#NotInMyName secretary-general Themba Masango recently confirmed that the organisation has been inundated with distress calls from families across South Africa begging for food handouts as more people struggle to put food on the table.
“This weekend we are visiting informal settlements in the North West, where our president Siyabulela Jentile hails from. He strongly felt that charity should begin at home and we took out food hampers to the families at Jouberton and Khuma informal settlements,” said Masango
The food parcels included maize meal, cooking oil, beans, soup and porridge, and were delivered to more than 200 families. Since the last year March lockdown imposed by the President, the organisation has distributed consignments and food parcels to over a thousand less fortunate families. It has also initiated a food parcel distribution campaign supported by various businesses to bring relief to many families that lost incomes.
Masango also commented further and stating that “Poverty in those areas is terrible, especially in the informal settlements that we visited. The lockdown condition has made poverty to become more extreme. People there really do not know what to do.”
“As you might know, these conditions also influence gender-based violence. In these set-ups, people are much stressed and often the anger is taken out on women and children. The unequal distribution of resources in South Africa calls on us to unite to achieve our sustainable development goals as they relate to social justice,” Masango concluded.”
