Staff Reporter – The Zimbabwe Daily
Johannesburg, South Africa – According to Mthandazo Ndlovu, Oxfam South Africa’s Democracy and Governance Manager many South Africans are likely to go hungry during this COVID-19 pandemic.
Ndlovu has attributed this to loss of income due to massive retrenchments and closure of businesses.
“COVID-19 has caused inequality retrenchments which have created unemployment drought hotspots for hunger.
Just under 50 percent of all South Africans are living below the Poverty Datum Line (PDL).
The government has to maximize the COVID-19 social relief fund to avoid devastating results.
Moreover, there must be a fairer way of distributing food and regulating food prices as well as a basic income grant,” said Ndlovu.
Although South Africa is expecting a bumper food harvest this year, the repercussions of COVID-19 are likely going to see many people failing to procure basic food stuffs due to lack of income.
