Crackdown on food distribution sparks concern for SA's most vulnerable

Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu Picture: African News Agency (ANA)

Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu Picture: African News Agency (ANA)

Published May 13, 2020

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Cape Town – Concerns have been raised around proposals to regulate how NGOs hand out food parcels.

New draft regulations before Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu propose a ban on cooked food distribution and will require all NGOs to apply for permits if they wish to distribute any form of food aid.

Western Cape Social Development MEC Sharna Fernandez said: “This is deeply concerning. It will make it extremely difficult for private donors, NGOs and civil society to distribute food relief to people most in need.

“It will threaten the food security of the most vulnerable people in our province, and indeed the entire country, and exacerbate the humanitarian crisis brought on by the hard lockdown.”

Zulu said: “We have noted challenges with long queues for food which is distributed by NGOs. These challenges were experienced when the private sector and NPOs distributed food parcels in an unco-ordinated manner wherein the local municipality, provinces and law enforcement agencies are sometimes not informed and not part of these distributions.”

She said unco-ordinated food distribution created duplication and partisan and corruption challenges.

“While proper co-ordination structures and mechanisms at national and provincial levels exist, we acknowledge it is not enough. I would also like to request all those who have received the food parcels to please be considerate and not take more than your share

“Our resources are limited, so when you take two instead of one food parcel, you are taking away from another vulnerable family. To all those NGOs who are fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with us to ensure our people are able to access food, I wish to express my sincere appreciation.”

She said they would develop official instructions to address the challenges that would encourage NGOs to co-ordinate with municipalities, provinces and law enforcement agencies to ensure that they distributed food in a better co-ordinated manner.

Lauren Printag of Milnerton CAN, an organisation that has been assisting the community with food parcels, said she welcomed the idea, provided it was streamlined.

“There is a part of me that understands it and as long as it’s above board and we can apply for a permit easily, then it shouldn't be a problem. We have to keep doing what we are doing and if anything changes, we will deal with it then. But it’s our right to feed people and, if we can, we should continue to do that.”

Jason de Vries, a Blackheath resident who started a food parcel drive with a R10 000 donation from an anonymous donor, said he would also have no problem with it.

“I think if we can get permits it will be appreciated as it will save us less drama. I think it is a smart idea and it would legitimise what we do and we will be able to show the police that what we are doing is legitimate.”

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