MORE than ever, Mzansi’s people are hungry – and most of them are children.
The numbers released yesterday by statistician-general Pali Lehohla indicates that the situation has become worse recently.
The number of people living in extreme poverty in Mzansi increased by 2,8 million, from 11 million in 2011 to 13,8 million in 2015, an increase of more than 25%.
Lehohla was briefing media on the Poverty Trends Report for the period 2006 to 2015 in South Africa.
Lehohla said the report looked at how the country has moved to reduce poverty.
He said the number of people who avoided extreme poverty but are still living in poverty declined between 2006 and 2011. In 2006,
31,6 million people lived in poverty and in 2011, 27,3 million people lived in poverty.
But the figure got worse from 2011 to 2015, when the number increased to 30,4 million people, which is 55,5% of the population.
“The people who are most vulnerable to poverty in our society are children aged 17 or younger, females, black Africans, people living in rural areas and those with little or no education.”
Those living in the Eastern Cape and Limpopo were most vulnerable, while poverty was lowest in Gauteng and the Western Cape, which triggers migration to the two provinces.
He said the fact that children were living in poverty, more than anything else, indicates a bleak
future.
“If children are poor, they are less likely to go to school. And even if they go to school, they will perform poorly.
“The youth graduate from poverty as children into being unemployed as youths.”
Lehohla said the likelihood of staying unemployed has increased by 10%.
“There is no end in sight in relation to the hardships being experienced.”
He said the declining economic performance had led to even more of the poor losing their jobs.
