Msomi, 24, was wondering where her next meal would come from when a bank announcement showed she had received R350 social support. She hurried to a shopping mall in the town of Mi Pueblanga in Durban to buy some food for her family.
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on July 25 that his aid would return until March 2022. The announcement came just days after riots broke out in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. In a September 12 speech, Ramaphosa said 12 million people had applied for the aid.
The second round of Anxiety Relief Social Relief currently includes unemployed caregivers receiving child support subsidies, 95% of which are reported by GroundUp. Caregiver recipients are not included in the first round of VV-19 distress assistance. From June to October 2020, the caregiver’s gift was adjusted by R500, but that was discontinued after October.
“When the money came, we had no food left in the house. I was happy to see that he received help. I borrowed money to go to the mall to take a taxi to buy 10 kg of rice and a little bit When it is shaved [meat, soup, vegetables that can be eaten with rice or another starch], ”Says Misomi.
Musomi rents a single backyard in part 3 of the city with two sisters and a niece. “We are all unemployed and there is a monthly rent crisis. We are constantly looking for jobs, but even that can be challenging because sometimes friends call and rush me into a vacancy, but I can’t because there is no money. If my sister doesn’t take a loan from her son so that we can get a CV, then we will be in debt to the sharks but even those options are gone and when that happens I will not go and I will not miss that opportunity. ”
Ndumi Mulung, 25, from Mondelo, a small town south of Variheid, wants to buy more things, but she is grateful for the offer. When the aid came, we only ate popcorn and soup, so I bought meat, chicken broth and potatoes, and that food is now expensive. You can’t buy much at R350 but it helped us, ”said Malungu.
Mulunun received her diploma in horticulture in 2018 but has not yet found a job. She lives with 14 family members, mostly women and children. Some sell food for school children during the holidays. Only two are employed.
Related text
Community at the heart of the hunger strike in SA
Sphesihle Nxumalo, 33, of Veriheid, says she is putting R350 on a short safety course offered by a private safety industry regulator at the UK Lulu Safety Training Center. She hopes that this will help her to find a job as a security guard.
“I will now continue to use the support and assistance of my children’s father to meet some of our needs. I think this course will help me to earn a better income in the long run, ”says Nixmalo.
Many people say they first spent R350 on starches, which included meat, rice or potatoes. Then they buy the same kind of protein, either soybeans, pickles, chicken or small portions like cheap, cooked meat, liver and lungs. At the bottom of the list – if there is money left – are spices, soups and vegetables such as onions and tomatoes.
Basic needs
Statistics South Africa adjusted its national food poverty line to R624 on September 9. In South Africa, more than 10 million people go hungry, many in rural communities. According to the National Food Consumption Survey, “Most rural people have very limited species and typically consume inadequate food in gardens and orchards.
Few South Africans have access to nutritious, nutritious food. According to the May 2021 home care index, the average food basket costs more than 300 rubles in September last year. The report was compiled by the Economic Justice and Honor Group, which monitors food prices from 44 supermarkets and 30 butchers’ restaurants in Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, Petmaryzburg and Springbock, North Cape.
Some recipients could afford to buy anything because they could afford it. The 23-year-old Tesso Masiteng, from Malanga, says most of her transportation and banking expenses have been wasted. “The bank charged me and I left 3110 myself. The nearest Capitol branch was 35 km away, so I took three taxis to get there. To get there, I also spent R76 and R76 on the way back. In fact, I could only buy information. ”
Recipients often have to wait in line at the post office to receive their money. The South African Social Security Agency has been encouraging recipients to deposit the money directly into their bank accounts, which is more convenient.
Although Musomi may not be able to provide other basic necessities such as clothing, information, toiletries, and transportation, she hopes to one day find a job to buy things for herself and her family.
“My biggest wish is to be able to buy a house for my sisters. Now we are scattered, the others are working in Jobberg, and we all need a house where we can come. If it weren’t for financial challenges, I would like to study office management, change the situation at home and not rely on R350 aid, ”said Moses.
