Plan to ensure food gets to all communities after unrest – Minister Thoko Didiza
Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Thoko Didiza says efforts were underway to ensure food supply continues despite incidents of looting witnessed in KwaZulu-Natal this week.
Didiza met with the agriculture and food sector yesterday in KZN. There have been growing concerns about the possibility of food shortages following days of unrest and looting in KZN and parts of Gauteng.
There have been long lines witnessed in parts of Durban as residents stood outside shopping malls to buy food essentials.
These snaking lines were due to some malls being shut down following looting incidents. Didiza said her discussions with the food and agriculture sector were intended to come up with a plan to ensure food gets to where it should and that the planting and harvesting season continues as planned.
She said at the moment, it was currently the sugar cane and citrus harvesting season. The resumption of this harvesting remains critical for meeting seasonal demands.
The minister said this season would also see planting and if the supplies were not delivered, harvesting for later in the year could be impacted.
Acting minister in the presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said the meetings were to deal with the aftermath of the sabotage and looting.
She said there was an agreement on the urgent need to focus on economic recovery for KwaZulu-Natal and help rebuild factories that had been damaged and minimise job losses.
“This collaboration between government and leading CEOs will lead to further immediate actions followed by more medium-term action plans using a ’Now, Next, Beyond’ approach.
“There was agreement that the immediate priority was to restore law and order, ensure the safety of our people, and respond to the availability of food and other essentials to all communities in KZN,” she said.
In other news – Bontle Modiselle and actor Lawrence Maleka to host this year’s SAMA Awards
This year’s SAMA Awards are set to go back to the standards that have made them the biggest awards ceremony in the country.
The show, which will be broadcast live on July 31 on SABC 1 at 8 pm will be lead by dancer Bontle Modiselle and actor Lawrence Maleka. The two were unveiled last night on Live Amp. Learn more
Source: IOL
