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Operation Hunger South Africa has expressed concern over possible food security challenges due to attacks on vessels in the Red Sea linked to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels said on Tuesday that they had launched a drone attack targeting two cargo vessels in the Red Sea – the latest in a series of assaults that have disrupted maritime trade.
Operation Hunger’s Interim CEO Sandy Bukula says there are parallels between Yemen and South Africa in terms of food security challenges.
“If you’re looking at Yemen and South Africa as well, in terms of the food security issue – we’re almost the same, in terms of our vulnerabilities because it’s deeply entrenched in inequities as well as South Africa – is the same, and I think if you’re looking at our physical indicators in terms of malnutrition stats- our slanting is not necessarily so far apart because as for South Africa, we are sitting now at about almost 30%, and they are on 26%.”
Bukula adds, “Domestically at the moment- the inflation for 2023- has impacted us so much, because we’ve seen a rise in food prices and the escalation at about 9.9%- and we’re only just talking about the average household food basket.”
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