By Mumtaz Saley Moosa

19:08:2020

Stats SA has released its national poverty lines 2020 report last Thursday.  Any person living in South Africa would need at least R585 per month to afford enough food to meet the minimum required daily energy intake needed to survive.

While R585 is more than the average child grant, the R585 is seen as the extreme poverty line, while the lower bound poverty line which includes non-food items is set at R840 a person and the upper bound poverty line was set at R1268 a person.

The so-called bread line is still out of reach for many South Africans, as soaring food prices continue to rise little by little almost monthly many more South Africans are now faced with no food security that can add nutritional value to an individual.

Stats SA said the purpose of the poverty lines was to help governments plan around tackling and eradicating poverty.

R585 does not allow an individual to receive the nutritional value he/she may need, this also means that many more children in South Africa will be going hungry or not get the nutrients needed for healthy development