Press release: Second meeting of National Food Crisis Forum

To:

Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, President, Republic of South Africa

Ms Barbara Creecy, Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Environmental Affairs

Ms Lindiwe Sisulu, Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation

The Solidarity Fund

On Tuesday, 26 May, the second meeting of the National Food Crisis Forum (NFCF) was convened by the South African Food Sovereignty Campaign and the Cooperative and Policy Alternative Center (COPAC), a vibrant alliance partner of the SAFSC and which is currently coordinating its response to Covid-19.

We support the concerns raised by Professor Glenda Gray about child malnutrition in South Africa. Before Covid-19, 1 in 4 children were malnourished. With the lock down and growing awareness of the risks of Covid-19, many South Africans are not willing to go to clinics and hospitals to seek care for children being deprived of food. This means this aspect of the hunger challenge is under reported. The NFCF also notes research produced by the Human Sciences Research Council on worsening hunger. Read more