A FRAGMENTED RESPONSE TO A PREVENTABLE DISASTER

Image via MSF.

Thu 31 July 2025:

Despite government action, a systemic breakdown and lack of coordination are blamed for the rising number of child starvation deaths in Nelson Mandela Bay.

More than two dozen children have died from severe acute malnutrition in Nelson Mandela Bay over the past year, a tragedy the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) describes as a “gross human rights violation” and a preventable disaster.

Speaking to Salaamedia, the SAHRC’s Eastern Cape head, Dr Eileen Carter, detailed the systemic failures contributing to the crisis, highlighting that despite some government progress, the situation on the ground is worsening. The core of the problem, according to Carter, is not a lack of food in the country but a failure of coordination and urgency.

“We are not a food-scarce country. We are a food-insecure country,” she stated, pointing out the paradox of overflowing grocery shops and massive food wastage while children starve.

The commission’s investigation, which began two years ago after the Department of Social Development returned R70 million in unspent funds to the National Fiscus, found that a “fragmented siloed response from government to food insecurity” is a primary cause.

While government departments “spoke in one voice” to condemn child hunger, the implementation of effective, coordinated solutions has fallen short. Carter explained, “How we are addressing this, unfortunately, is where we get stuck.” This crisis is exacerbated by what Carter terms a fragmented response.

A multi-layered systemic failure

Several interconnected factors are preventing aid from reaching the most vulnerable. Dr Carter identified critical breakdowns in the system:

Inadequate child support grant: the grant is “too little for even meeting the food poverty line,” meaning the financial support provided to caregivers is insufficient to afford a nutritious daily meal for a child.

Vulnerability of young children: the national school nutrition programme, while successful, does not cover children in the zero-to-five-year-old age group, who are the “most susceptible to acute malnutrition.”

Barriers to access: a “very concerning trend of under-registration of births” means many children are invisible to the system, as their caregivers cannot claim grants without the necessary documents.

Carter believes the crisis has reached a point where conventional methods are failing and a new approach is required. “It’s a question of coordination. It’s a question of urgency. And it’s also, perhaps, in my own personal view, a question of throwing out the playbook on how we are used to dealing with matters,” she said.

The SAHRC has urged the government to declare a state of disaster to trigger the release of emergency funding and resources. Carter confirmed the commission is now considering subpoenaing national and provincial governments to account for the steps taken to address what she calls a provincial and national-wide scourge. The ongoing tragedy, she insists, cannot be solved by a fragmented response.

Carter also pointed to a significant legislative gap, noting that while rights to water, health, and social assistance are enshrined in domestic law, the right to food is not. “Access to food? Not yet,” she said, suggesting a need to mobilise for specific legislation. While holding authorities accountable is crucial, Carter also called on citizens to embody the principle of Ubuntu by supporting local soup kitchens and community food gardens to help mitigate the effects of a fragmented response.