Hidden Hunger in South Africa: The faces of hunger and malnutrition in a food-secure nation

Oxfam have launched a report titled Hidden Hunger in South Africa: The faces of hunger and malnutrition in a food secure nation. The report hopes to inform people about the rise of hunger within South Africa, and shows that although South Africa is supposedly a food-secure nation, 1 in 4 people in the country face hunger and a further quarter are at risk of hunger. These are ordinary people who are struggling to put food on their families table. Low incomes, rising costs, a lack of access to productive resources and climate change are amongst the reasons causing 13 million people to go to bed hungry.

The report is based on the testimonies of women and men, urban and rural, and attempts to show what it feels like to face hunger on a regular basis or to be constantly afraid of this threat. Eradicating hunger in South Africa will require an integrated legislative response based on the state’s constitutional mandate to ensure that no one goes hungry.

Oxfam’s short YouTube clip shows how hunger cripples too many, stripping away dignity, perpetuating inequality and holding back South Africans’ potential to prosper.

For more information please visit Oxfam’s website.