His majesty, King Goodwill Zwelithini and MEC Sithole-Moloi to host the World Food Day commemoration event in Zululand District
His Majesty, King Goodwill Zwelithini has noted with concern the state of hundreds of thousands of low-income and food-insecure citizens of KwaZulu-Natal suffering from hunger and malnutrition worsened by the prevalence of Covid-19 pandemic and has called on all the inhabitants of the province to strengthen solidarity in the struggle against hunger, malnutrition and poverty.
Over the duration of the lockdown, surveys have indicated that spending on food has dropped by 45% compared to the pre-COVID average. While 28% of the population surveyed have had to reduce food portion sizes, more than 22% had to skip meals in the last 7 days and a further 32% have lost income signifying that food security is at an alarming low.
His Majesty, King Goodwill Zwelithini is of the view that food and nutrition insecurity is a critical challenge, which if not addressed prudently and urgently, can easily become the seed of social upheavals and a major national security threat particularly because of the burdens imposed on female-headed households and multigenerational households.
Therefore, as part of commemorating the World Food Day (WFD), His Majesty and KZNDARD MEC Bongiwe Sithole-Moloi will host this event aimed at creating public awareness on world food shortage and strengthening solidarity in the struggle against hunger, malnutrition and poverty.
The theme for this year’s WFD is, “Our actions are our future. Healthy diets for a #ZeroHungerWorld”.
The Honourable MEC, Bongiwe Sithole-Moloi, therefore, graciously requests you to attend and report on the outcomes of this World Food Day commemoration as well as the programmes lined up to rebuild and recover the economics of the large groups of people that are hungry.
This engagement will take place as follows:
Venue: eNyokeni Sports Arena
Time: 10h00
Date: 16 October 2020
For more information, contact:
Media Liaison Officer, Mr. Mack Makhathini
Cell: 076 965 5870
Royal Household Spokesperson, Prince Thulani Zulu
Cell: 082 040 6610
