A coalition of organisations involved in the daily fight against the growing hunger problem in South Africa has issued a statement demanding that government halts the donation of R50 million to Cuba and instead directs the funds towards an immediate, independent investigation into the root causes of, and solutions to, hunger in South Africa.
The coalition consists of national and regional hunger relief, humanitarian, disaster response, food rescue and feeding scheme NGOs.
On February 2, Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Alvin Botes announced the donation to Cuba, saying that it was necessary, as US sanctions continue to pose a food security threat to the communist island. South Africa has a close relationship with Cuba due to the role it played in assisting liberation movements across the island.
The coalition provided the following information:
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 stabilized 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.
The coalition of organisations urgently requesting an audience with President Cyril Ramaphosa or the Minister in the Department of Social Development, Lindiwe Zulu, 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.
“Despite the enormous effort and resources these organisations collectively put into the daily battle against hunger, the ravages continue unabated. Each one of the organisations report exponentially increased need. All convey stories of desperation, impassioned pleas from a growing number of people desperately reaching out on their social media platforms, websites, and in person with stories of starving children, and sick and elderly without the means to feed themselves or their families,” the coalition said in the statement.
“The coalition believes that, against this backdrop, the donation of R50 million to a foreign country on the basis of international relations is a gross misallocation of funds, at best. These organisations have united to call upon government not just to halt the donation to Cuba, but more importantly to meet with them to discuss ways in which to collaboratively address the dire and growing problem, and to take collaborative action to end hunger in our own country. The coalition is of the firm and educated opinion that an end to hunger is possible – but only through the collaboration of government and non-government organisations uniting efforts, expertise and resources.”
Members of the public can join the hunger relief coalition by signing the petition demanding that government halt the donation to Cuba at .
