A second wave of food relief is needed

Diepsloot Youth Programme - Tracy Henley and the team

It’s been almost a year since President Ramaphosa announced South Africa’s level five lockdown and there’s still a huge and urgent need for food relief among South Africa’s most vulnerable. The second wave exacerbated an already dire situation and with the possibility of a third wave, the time to act is now.

This is according to Tracy Henley from The Diepsloot Youth Programme, one of the non-profit organisations who, since April 2020 has assisted Telesure Investment Holdings (TIH) - on behalf of the Douw Steyn Family Trust - to distribute over 27 482 food parcels to communities in and around Diepsloot, Johannesburg.

R200 million was put aside for this programme and to date, 782 775 individuals have been assisted.

“Through organisations including the Mahlasedi Foundation and The Diepsloot Youth Programme, among others, we implemented a door to door delivery system which makes use of technology to avoid duplication. TIH will now expand the programme to include other provinces and communities,” says Nonkululeko Maninjwa of TIH.

The expansion of TIH’s food relief programme to other provinces is in response to the second wave of COVID-19. Provinces including Kwa-Zulu Natal, the Eastern Cape, Limpopo and the North West are some of the areas identified to receive assistance.

Maninjwa concludes: “Many South Africans are still facing high levels of food insecurity, especially in the most rural and remote areas. With our economy under strain and jobs being lost, those that were already struggling to support their families now find themselves in overwhelming circumstances. Food security is a basic right and basic need of all South Africans. If ever there was a time for Ubuntu it is now.”