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Almost 50% of adult South Africans are overweight or obese. Poverty and poor nutrition are largely to blame

Almost 50% of adult South Africans are overweight or obese. Poverty and poor nutrition are largely to blame

MALNUTRITION, in all its forms, includes undernutrition (wasting, stunting, underweight), inadequate vitamins or minerals, overweight and obesity. South Africa has undergone a nutritional transition over the past 30 years characterised by the triple burden of malnutrition: households are simultaneously experiencing undernutrition, hidden hunger, and overweight or obesity due to nutrient-poor diets. Results of the first in-depth, nationwide study into food and nutrition since 1994, the National Food and Nutrition Security Survey, found almost half the adult population of South Africa were overweight or obese. While there was sufficient food to feed everyone through domestic production and imports, many families and…
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South Africa’s governing ANC promises ‘better life’ at manifesto launch

South Africa’s governing ANC promises ‘better life’ at manifesto launch

SOUTH Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa said that his party, the African National Congress (ANC), would build on the successes of the last three decades and work to resolve the country's challenges of high unemployment, crime and poverty should it win decisively at the polls. Ramaphosa outlined his party's six priority areas at its election manifesto launch in Durban, a coastal city in the eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal. Recent polls suggest the ANC is at risk of losing its parliamentary majority in the May 29 election for the first time since Nelson Mandela led the country through its first democratic elections at…
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Syrians still endure poverty despite relative calm and renewed Arab ties

Syrians still endure poverty despite relative calm and renewed Arab ties

NESMA Daher survived years of war in a Damascus suburb that was on the frontlines of Syria's conflict. But well after the guns fell silent in her area and even as her country's regional isolation thaws, she says life only gets harder. A widow from Douma, a rebel-held town until 2018 when government forces took it back, Daher says sometimes she can only feed her four children one meal a day. The family survives on cash assistance from an NGO equivalent to about $7 a month. Her youngest son, 12, has quit school to work at a factory. "From the…
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Constant fear of eviction: how poor people experience life in Somaliland’s growing cities

Constant fear of eviction: how poor people experience life in Somaliland’s growing cities

MANY cities in Somaliland are growing rapidly. Climate change-induced displacement, insecurity, and population growth accelerate urbanisation. Yet, many urban residents live in dire poverty, lack adequate shelter, and have only limited access to basic infrastructures and services. Two recent research projects focused on experiences of urbanisation from the perspective of people living at the urban margins. One explored displacement and security while the other looked at infrastructure access. We found that both security and infrastructure access are deeply entangled in property relations. Property constitutes boundaries and shapes processes of inclusion and exclusion. It also influences urban experiences and differentiates city…
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How COVID added to the stresses of the most vulnerable young women in South Africa

How COVID added to the stresses of the most vulnerable young women in South Africa

BY 2021, South Africa’s unemployment rate was at 44%. Around 55.5% of South Africans were living in poverty. Figures show that in 2021, 10 million people, including 3 million children, lived in a household affected by hunger. Poverty is a key driver of poor mental health. People who also experience insecure income, housing and food supply are particularly vulnerable. The burden of mental illness in South Africa is high. Nearly half of the population (47.5%) is at risk of developing a psychiatric disorder in their lifetime. Despite this high burden, access to mental healthcare in South Africa is severely limited.…
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Eswatini: how social pressures and poverty affect the ability of children to navigate school

Eswatini: how social pressures and poverty affect the ability of children to navigate school

THE population of Eswatini (previously called Swaziland) is slightly below 1.2 million people, and about 58.9% of the people live below the nationally defined poverty line – living on less than US$1.9 a day. For years Eswatini has also had the highest prevalence of HIV and AIDS in the world. In 2019, about 27% of the country’s population was HIV positive. Author NCAMSILE MOTSA, Post Doctoral Researcher, School of Education, University of KwaZulu-Natal One of the devastating effects of HIV and AIDS, coupled with poverty, has been the escalating numbers of vulnerable children in the country. For example, in 2012,…
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Efforts to protect the poor during COVID: how five African countries fared

Efforts to protect the poor during COVID: how five African countries fared

THE number of people living in poverty around the world is estimated to have increased by half a billion people due to the COVID-19 crisis. The African continent has suffered at least US$100 billion in economic costs in 2020, measured by the reduction in trade revenues and financial flows due to the pandemic. Many studies have been undertaken to evaluate the effects of the pandemic in Africa. But there’s little evidence of what difference tax-and-benefit systems made to poverty before or during the crisis. Two areas of government policy form the tax and benefit system. First, governments support people through…
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African researchers make headway in getting decisions made based on evidence

African researchers make headway in getting decisions made based on evidence

THE COVID-19 pandemic has added to the challenges facing African countries, including poverty, inequality and unemployment. RUTH STEWART, Professor: Evidence-Informed Decision-Making, University of Johannesburg SIZIWE NGCWABE, Senior Manager: Operations and Research Associate, University of Johannesburg Solutions exist. But they must be based on the best available evidence. That allows governments and policymakers to ensure scarce resources are carefully, transparently allocated where they can do the most good. Around the world, there is a community working to develop and support mechanisms that increase the use of research in decision-making. This is what is called evidence-informed decision-making. The community works in many…
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Malnutrition among children is rife in Nigeria. What must be done

Malnutrition among children is rife in Nigeria. What must be done

MALNUTRITION is one of the world’s major public health and development concerns. In Nigeria, the situation is dire. Currently, UNICEF says 5 in 10 children under five years old suffer from the effects of being malnourished. This has an overarching impact on the lives, future and productivity of Nigerian children. Ogechi Ekeanyanwu, from The Conversation Africa, asked Blessing Akombi-Inyang, a maternal and child health expert, to explain the reasons for this high rate of malnutrition. BLESSING AKOMBI-INYANG PHD, MPH, Lecturer in Global Health, UNSW Why is malnutrition so endemic in Nigeria? The main reason is malnutrition’s close association with poverty.…
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South African policies go some way to tackling poverty and inequality. But more is needed

South African policies go some way to tackling poverty and inequality. But more is needed

SOUTH Africa is one of the most unequal societies in the world. More than 50% of the population live in poverty. Despite notable gains in poverty reduction post-apartheid, poverty levels have remained consistently highest among women, black South Africans, people with disabilities, and those living in rural areas. SOPHIE PLAGERSON, Senior research fellow at the Centre for Social Development in Africa, University of Johannesburg The government has committed itself to addressing poverty, inequality and social exclusion – understood as a disadvantage by gender, race, disability or place. The mandate is laid out in the constitution and in the government’s National…
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