POVERTY IN SOUTH AFRICA

Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) has updated national poverty lines for 2021. Three poverty lines are tracked. The primary purpose being a statistical tool to measure money metric poverty.

The ‘Food Poverty Line (FPL) also referred to as the ‘Extreme Poverty Line’ measures the amount of money an individual needs to afford the minimum required daily energy intake. 13.8 million South Africans are living below that line. In other words, without access to alternative food sources such as food kitchens, school meals, organizations directly addressing hunger alleviation, or subsistence crop gardens, for example, 13.8 million South Africans are starving to death. This is R624 per person per month.

The ‘lower-bound Poverty Line’ (LBPL) refers to the food poverty line plus the average amount derived from non-food items of households whose total expenditure is equal to the food poverty line. The (LBPL) is R890 per person per month.

The ‘Upper-Bound Poverty Line’ (UBPL) refers to the food poverty line plus the average amount derived from non-food items of households whose food expenditure is equal to the food poverty line. That figure is R1335 per person per month and 30.4 million South Africans live below that line, more than half the mid-year 2021 population estimate of 60.14 million people.

These are not merely numbers. They are people. The situation is alarming and needs to be addressed. This is one reason that NPO’s and organizations like Food 4 Futures – Ithemba Le Kamva addressing hunger alleviation at a grassroots level play such a significant role in the lives of South African families.

If you can assist Food 4 Futures – Ithemba Le Kamva, please use the donate button.

All numbers were released by Statistics South Africa.

Below is a link to the original article in BusinessTech published on 9th September 2021.