A coalition of hunger relief organisations, representing 60 NGOs and over 16,000 signatories from across South Africa, handed over a petition to Acting Director General Clayson Monyela at the main gate of the Department of International Relations (DIRCO) in Pretoria this morning.
The petition was handed over in an empty pot, symbolising the empty bellies of the thousands of people who go to sleep hungry every night in South Africa.
16,810 South Africans have joined the coalition of 60+ NGOs since the petition was launched on 7 February. The petition is in protest against the donation of R50 million to Cuba for the relief of hunger, which the coalition believes is a travesty of justice to allow millions of rands to exit South Africa while over 50 million of our own people suffer the injustices of hunger every day.
“Thank you for raising the matters that you’ve raised with us in this very peaceful way. This is the South African way of discussing issues. We do recognise that there are competing interests and needs and my duty is to receive this memorandum of issues you’ve raised and make sure the Minister and the Deputy Ministers and the leadership of this Department receive them. What I can assure you is that we will certainly interrogate the issues you’ve raised and consider what you’ve highlighted to us, not only on this issue of Cuba but also going forward when other decisions are made. We also don’t think it’s correct for South Africans to go hungry and nothing is done. Something has to be done urgently. It’s a matter of priority, and we will certainly discuss these issues in that spirit. So I’ll make sure the document gets to the right people and we will provide a written response,”Acting Director General Clayson Monyela.
What is the Coalition calling for?
To DIRCO – Minister Naledi Pandor and Deputy Minister Alvin Botes – halt the donation of R50 million to Cuba and reallocate it towards an urgent, independent investigation into immediately actionable solutions to address the systemic causes of hunger.
To President Cyril Ramaphosa – treat hunger as the pandemic it is. Attack the problem at the root by funding an independent commission of action-orientated experts who have the research-based insights into the problems and can work towards implementing solutions to address the hunger pandemic. Your statement in your State of the Nation Address indicates your intention to do so – now take action.
To the Department of Social Development – Minister Lindiwe Zulu – rise to the call of thousands of South Africans who have signed the petition, and the hundreds of thousands of voiceless hungry people across the country – and take action. Champion the cause of the voiceless and leave a legacy of ensuring that children are not stunted and malnourished, instead of leaving the legacy of childhood malnutrition that will be felt in generations to come.
Comparison of hunger statistics – Cuba vs South Africa
When comparing the hunger statistics in the two countries, the facts provide evidence of the irony of the R50 million hunger relief donation to Cuba:
According to the Global Hunger Index, Cuba has consistently scored “low” (less than 5) on the Global Hunger Index (GHI) since 2005. A GHI score of <5 indicates that less than 10% of the population suffers from hunger, calculated by national rates of undernourishment, child wasting and stunting and child mortality. Hunger in Cuba has stabilised at 2.50% since 2002. South Africa is ranked 60th with a score of 12.9, which indicates a level of hunger that is “moderate”. According to worldhunger.io, 52.31% of South Africa’s population (30,896,447 out of 59,062,442) is food insecure. Meanwhile, 19.98% of Cuba (2,260,286 out of 11,311,641) faces food insecurity. NPOs stand together The coalition of organisations who will be delivering the petition to Government on Thursday and representing the 15,000+ petition signatories range from community-based soup kitchens to large national organisations. They are (in alphabetical order): Army of Yahweh, 4Given, African Reclaimers Organisation Solidarity (ARO), Apostolic Faith Mission (Cosmo City), Arukah House of Restoration, BELACAAS NPC 2021/680383/08, Bertams Inner City Farm, Boikanyo The Dion Herson Foundation, Charity Fusion, Chefs with Compassion, CK Foundation, Divine Saints Apostles Church, Esperanca Foundation, Fingertips of Africa, FoodForward South Africa, Food not Bombs, Fortress of Refuge, Fountain of Youth Entrepreneurs Project, Harvesting Heritage, Hope of the Hopeless, Ingelosi House, Jobs of Faith, Khayalethu Care Centre, Ladles of Love, Lady on a Mission, Life of God Ministries - The Mission Church, Locked Out, Londani Lushaka, Makers Valley Partnership, Minanawe Community Care Partners, MTM Hope Giver Foundation, Mum Touching Lives , Needy Kids ECD Centre, Nellie George Foundation, New Life Centre for Girls, NOSH Food Rescue, OJC Development Centre, One Small Act of Kindness, Rainbow Children's Village, Regomoditswe Children's Home, RySky Foundation, Saeed Foundation NPO, Service in Motion (S.I.M.), Sizanani Outreach Care Centre NPO, Sizo Community Restoration Project, Soli Deo Gloria Care Centre, Souper Troopers, Swaragano, Sweet Smell From Heaven Soup Kitchen, Teddy Bear Foundation, The Angel Network, The Ithemba project, ThembiT Foundation, Thusanang Diamela Community Project, Tshepang Care Centre, Union of Jewish Women, Up Country Feeding Hands -, Vanessa's Soup Kitchen, W.A.S. Foundation, Western Cape Community Care. Coalition appeals to the public The coalition is calling on the public to sign the petition on https://www.change.org/DIRCOFeedSAFirst and to share it on their social media platforms using the hashtag #DIRCOFeedSAFirst. They are inviting members of the public who would like to be present for the handover to join them at the DIRCO office to add to the strength of the appeal.
