By Lazarus Mabasa
THE Department of Social Development is set to distribute about 400 000 food hampers to more than 2 million poorest people as part of government's efforts to reduce poverty and hunger in the country.
Social Development Minister Zola Skweyiya announced that preparations to distribute the 400 000 hampers was at a very advanced stage.
Dr Skweyiya said the food hampers would be supplied to identified needy people in all of the country's nine provinces and government hoped this would also benefit vulnerable children especially those households where children such as orphans battle to get basics such as a daily meal.
Government issued a tender invitation to organisations that are suitable for an efficient delivery of the food parcels.
"Preparations by the National Department of Social Development to distribute food hampers are indeed at advanced stage. The National Department of Social Development, through this tender and in line with its Black Economic Empowerment strategy, vigorously promotes emerging black business.
"The department therefore intends, as it has been doing in the past, to work closely with civil society and faith-based organisations to ensure that this relief benefits the poorest of the poor who are its main target group," said minister Skweyiya.
Dr Skweyiya added that of the many factors associated with poor communities, food insecurity and food shortage are two major indicators of poverty and vulnerability.
"Food shortage is often associated with groups of people in low-income levels or those that are unable to generate sufficient income. Given the fact that unemployment in rural areas is high and that opportunities for self employment are virtually non existent, many households are accordingly unable to meet their nutrition requirements," he explained.
The Director-General of the Department of Social Services Vusi Madonsela said the service providers; local traders, small business enterprises in the locality or service providers who form consortia with local small business enterprises would be considered to run the tender of food distribution.
Madonsela warned against fraud or corruption in the distribution of the parcels and said "anyone found unduly enriching himself or herself by defrauding or attempting to defraud this scheme will be dealt with severely and mercilessly".
The National Food Emergency Scheme (NFES) within which the distribution of food hampers is conducted, constitutes part of the government's Integrated Food Security and Nutrition Programme that has been designed and accepted as the guiding policy framework for an integrated strategy to respond the immediate food crisis.
The NFES amongst others seeks to provide immediate food relief to targeted households for a three months period and to increase access linkages to the formal Social Security Safety Net.
"The National Department of Social Development is doing its utmost best to finalise the process in order to allow distribution of food hampers to the needy," said Madonsela.
Source: BuaNews
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