By Staff Writer
- The number of children going hungry in South Africa has doubled since 2016.
- Northern Cape hit hardest with 110 deaths among 1,600 children taken to hospital.
South Africa’s child hunger crisis is worsening, with twice as many children now suffering from severe hunger compared to eight years ago.
Dr Sufang Guo from UNICEF says the number of dangerously thin children has jumped from 2.5% in 2016 to 5% in 2024.
“Those severely wasted children are facing life-threatening situations,” she warned, The Citizen reported.
The Northern Cape has been hit hardest. In the past three years, 110 children under five have died from hunger out of 1,600 who were taken to hospital. Nearly one in five children in the province is dangerously underweight.
Health department spokesperson Foster Mohale said there has been some improvement, as fewer children are dying from severe hunger compared to 2014, especially in the Free State, Northern Cape and Limpopo.
But the bigger picture remains dire. UNICEF says about 1.7 million South African children are too short for their age because of poor nutrition. Three out of every ten children fail to grow properly because they do not get enough food.
Many hungry children also suffer from other health problems such as HIV, TB, diarrhoea and serious infections.
The health department says it is working to fix the problem by supporting breastfeeding mothers, teaching proper feeding practices, and monitoring children’s growth.
Karen Jooste from the DA in the Northern Cape says the province must speed up its hunger relief plan and allocate more funds to soup kitchens.
Pictured above: A hungry child.
Source: Stock
