Sameera Casmod | sameerac@radioislam.co.za
17 November 2023 | 09:06 CAT
1-min read

Picture: Shutterstock

A recent South African Human Rights Commission report has exposed a devastating reality in the Eastern Cape, where over 100 children lost their lives to severe acute malnutrition (SAM) within a single year. The dire situation underscores a broader crisis as more than 900 children out of 1 087 presenting SAM symptoms were hospitalised, with 116 succumbing to the condition.

Health Minister Joe Pala admitted to the Commission that SAM cases surged from 1,9 to 2,4 per thousand children under the age of 5 between the 2018-2019 and 2022-2023 periods.

Speaking on Radio Islam International, Mbonisi Nyathi, Bertha Justice Fellow in Legal Research at the University of Cape Town’s Children’s Institute, discussed the extent of malnutrition in the Eastern Cape. Approximately 53% of the 1,4 million children in the province live below the food poverty line, exacerbating the crisis.

Nyathi noted that the Department of Health fails to address the issue effectively. He argued that unemployment was a root cause, leaving families without the means to provide food for their children.

The problem prompts the call for urgent action to address unemployment and enhance social support systems. Nyathi highlighted the need for increased child support grants, proposing an elevation from R500 to R760 to meet the food poverty line. Additionally, he advocated for subsidising Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres to improve the nutritional support provided.

The interview concluded with a plea for citizens to actively engage in solutions, highlighting the importance of granting access to child support grants, legalising young women without IDs, and supporting mothers and children in obtaining birth certificates for social grant access.

Listen to the full interview on Sabaahul Muslim with Moulana Sulaimaan Ravat.