Faizel Patel – 06/07/2021
The Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group says the average cost of the household food basket increased by R271.89 over the past 10 months, from R3 856.34 in September to R4 128.23 in June.
The organisations Mervyn Abrahams was speaking to Radio Islam about South Africa’s poor who are struggling amid the current Coronavirus pandemic in he country.
It says government should consider giving the same financial support it offered at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic to mitigate the sharp rise in food prices.
Abrahams says the sharp rise in food prices is forcing families to leave out many nutritious foods from their grocery lists.
“Our basket is set up for a household of seven persons and it includes forty-four very basic foods. This is a basked that is constructed on the basis of what women in low income households tell us they would like to purchase every month should they have sufficient amount of money.”
Abrahams says despite the Coronavirus being prevalent in South Africa and across the globe, government has ceased all support to struggling South Africans including the poor.
“Since it’s been stopped in September/October, we have seen unemployment increase, we have seen more and more people on short time now with the third wave. We have seen the prices of food increase over the last ten months by R 271 which is 7% and much higher than the CPI. So all of these are having an impact on households and households ability to put food on the table.”
Abrahams says government does have money to ensure the wellbeing of South Africans.
“The state does have money. SAA is flying and Eskom it getting its billions constantly, members of parliament are getting their increases and so on. So there is money in the state, it’s a question of prioritizing, where do they prioritize the states resources?”
The plight of those struggling to meet their financial obligations will be significantly exacerbated after it emerged last week that Johannesburg residents will have to fork out more in municipal bills from July with new rates kicking in.
City Power customers will now pay a whopping 14.6% more for electricity, water and sanitation will now cost 6.8% more, while refuse removal is going up by 4.3% and property rates by 2%.
Listen to the interview with Mervyn Abrahams
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