Even before the lockdown, the nutritional status of a large proportion of South African families was very fragile. A quarter of South Africa’s children under five suffer from stunting as a result of chronic malnutrition, which is an underlying contributory factor in at least two-thirds of child deaths in South Africa. A quarter of pregnant women report going hungry and 25% of households live below the food poverty line. Quite literally, a vast number of families have been living on the edge.
Our people have no reserves and the shock of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown will result in a spike in acute malnutrition if we do not act swiftly to protect food and nutrition security for the most vulnerable.
Worsening nutrition will increase the number of low birth-weight babies and increase their susceptibility to infections, firstly to Covid-19 and then to childhood illnesses such as diarrhoea and measles. This could result in secondary epidemics, especially if the health services are already overwhelmed.
Two immediate things can be done to mitigate the economic and nutritional effect on South Africans: first, increase the child support grant and expand its beneficiary base and, second, make affordable a basic basket of highly nutritional foodstuffs.
Increase the child support grant and expand its beneficiaries
South Africa’s child support grant is a helpful intervention for providing some support for the nutritional needs of South Africa’s children on an ordinary day. These, however, are not ordinary days. With more than nine-million school-going children unable to access the daily nutritious meal they received through the country’s national school nutrition programme and 1.2-million under fives likewise unable to access a meal through early childhood development centres, the R445 per month child support grant will be insufficient to protect South Africa’s children from acute and chronic malnutrition and its devastating long-term effects on their future health and well-being.
In addition, the grant does not cover pregnancy, a time when a child’s growth and brain development relies mostly on adequate nutrition. So, to avoid this impending malnutrition crisis, and its long-term social and economic effects, the government should top up the grant for the next three months and extend the beneficiary base to include pregnant women.
Groups, such as the Children’s Institute and South Africa Labour and Development Research Unit argue that temporarily increasing the child support grant would be among the most efficient ways to strengthen household food security.
Affordable basic basket of highly nutritious food items
At a time where a significant proportion of the South Africa population will experience cash constraints, retailers and food manufacturers could play an important role in cushioning the blow by waiving their retail mark-ups on essential food items. Five items have been identified by the Grow Great Campaign as essential.
These foods items include eggs, maize meal, legumes (beans and lentils), tinned fish and full-cream milk powder and have been identified because of their high nutritional value and wide use across South Africa’s cultural groups.
As South Africans we can and will overcome this pandemic and triumph over its far-reaching ramifications on our economy, health systems and the well-being of our people. Victory over the pandemic will, however, take us coming together as non-governmental organisations, government and business to ensure the most vulnerable are protected and that hard-won gains in health and development are fiercely defended during this time.
As has been repeatedly emphasised by others: “We will never know if we did too much, but it will be immediately apparent if we do not do enough.”
Dr Kopano Matlwa Mabaso is executive director of Grow Great, which seeks to mobilise South Africa towards a national commitment to zero stunting by 2030
Hata kabla ya kufungwa, hali ya lishe ya sehemu kubwa ya familia za Afrika Kusini ilikuwa dhaifu sana. Karibu asilimia nne ya watoto wa Afrika Kusini chini ya umri wa miaka mitano wanaugua ugonjwa wa kukosa chakula, ambao ni sababu ya angalau thuluthi mbili ya vifo vya watoto nchini Afrika Kusini. Karibu asilimia nne ya wanawake wajawazito wanaripoti kuwa na njaa na asilimia 25 ya familia zinaishi chini ya kiwango cha umaskini wa chakula. Kwa kweli, idadi kubwa ya familia zimekuwa zikiishi kwenye ukingo. """Watu wetu hawana akiba na mshtuko wa kuzuiwa kwa janga la COVID-19 utapata kuongezeka kwa utapiamlo mkali ikiwa hatutafanya haraka kulinda usalama wa chakula na lishe kwa walio hatarini zaidi." "Kugharimu kwa lishe kunaongeza idadi ya watoto wenye uzito mdogo wa kuzaliwa na kuongeza uwezekano wao wa kuambukizwa, kwanza kwa COVID-19 na kisha kwa magonjwa ya utotoni kama vile kuhara na surua. """ Hilo laweza kusababisha magonjwa ya kuambukiza ya pili, hasa ikiwa huduma za afya tayari zimezidiwa. "Kuna mambo mawili yanayoweza kufanywa mara moja ili kupunguza athari za kiuchumi na lishe kwa Waafrika Kusini: kwanza, kuongeza ruzuku ya msaada wa watoto na kupanua msingi wake wa watendaji, na pili, kufanya kikapu cha msingi cha vyakula vyenye lishe ya juu kuwa rahisi.""" Kuongeza misaada ya msaada wa watoto na kupanua wanunuzi wake Msaada wa msaada wa watoto wa Afrika Kusini ni hatua muhimu ya kutoa msaada kwa mahitaji ya lishe ya watoto wa Afrika Kusini katika siku ya kawaida. Hata hivyo, siku hizi si siku za kawaida. Kwa kuwa watoto zaidi ya milioni tisa wanaokwenda shule hawawezi kupata chakula cha kila siku cha lishe walichopokea kupitia mpango wa kitaifa wa lishe ya shule, na watoto milioni 1.2 chini ya miaka mitano hawawezi kupata chakula kupitia vituo vya maendeleo ya utotoni, ruzuku ya R445 kwa mwezi ya msaada wa watoto haitoshi kulinda watoto wa Afrika Kusini kutoka kwa utapiamlo mkali na wa muda mrefu na athari zake mbaya kwa afya na ustawi wao wa baadaye. Kwa kuongezea, ruzuku hiyo haifai wakati wa ujauzito, wakati ambapo ukuaji wa mtoto na maendeleo ya ubongo hutegemea hasa lishe ya kutosha. Kwa hivyo, ili kuepuka mgogoro huu wa utapiamlo unaokaribia, na athari zake za muda mrefu za kijamii na kiuchumi, serikali inapaswa kuongeza ruzuku kwa miezi mitatu ijayo na kupanua msingi wa waliopokea ili kujumuisha wanawake wajawazito. Makundi kama vile Taasisi ya Watoto na Kitengo cha Utafiti wa Kazi na Maendeleo cha Afrika Kusini wanasema kuwa kuongeza muda wa ruzuku ya msaada wa watoto itakuwa moja ya njia bora zaidi ya kuimarisha usalama wa chakula cha kaya. Wakati ambapo sehemu kubwa ya idadi ya watu wa Afrika Kusini watakabiliwa na vikwazo vya fedha, wauzaji wa rejareja na wazalishaji wa chakula wanaweza kucheza jukumu muhimu katika kupunguza pigo kwa kuondoa alama zao za rejareja kwenye bidhaa muhimu za chakula. Vitu vitano vimeainishwa na Kampeni ya Kukua Kubwa kama muhimu. Vyakula hivyo ni pamoja na mayai, mahindi, maharagwe, samaki na unga, na maziwa ya unga, na vimejulikana kwa sababu ya thamani yao ya juu ya lishe na matumizi ya jumla katika makundi ya kitamaduni ya Afrika Kusini. """Tukiwa Waafrika Kusini tunaweza na tutashinda janga hili na kushinda athari zake za mbali juu ya uchumi wetu, mifumo ya afya na ustawi wa watu wetu." "Hata hivyo, ushindi dhidi ya janga hilo utatuchukua tukiungana kama mashirika yasiyo ya kiserikali, serikali na biashara kuhakikisha watu walio hatarini zaidi wanalindwa na kwamba mafanikio yaliyopatikana kwa bidii katika afya na maendeleo yanalindwa kwa ukali wakati huu. """ "Kama ilivyoelezwa mara kwa mara na wengine: ""Hatutakuwa na kujua kama tumefanya mengi sana, lakini itakuwa dhahiri mara moja kama hatufanyi vya kutosha."" - Dr. Kopano Matlwa Mabaso, Mkurugenzi Mtendaji wa Grow Great, ambayo inatafuta kuhamasisha Afrika Kusini kuelekea ahadi ya kitaifa ya kutokuwa na matatizo ya kukua kwa miaka 2030."