The opposition DA party filed a complaint on Thursday accusing President Cyril Ramaphosa of ignoring child hunger. They took the issue to the South African Human Rights Commission.
Nearly 5 million of South Africa’s 20 million children regularly go to bed with empty stomachs, according to data from the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund. DA leader John Steenhuisen blasted Ramaphosa for allowing this crisis to happen under his watch.
“The proposals to fix this are realistic. But this government cares more about itself than the country,” Steenhuisen stated. “We’ve urged Ramaphosa to lower taxes on affordable foods like chicken and baby formulas. This should be his top concern.”
Steenhuisen argued the hunger crisis warrants urgent action from the top. “I hope the Rights Commission holds the President accountable. He is clearly failing millions of starving kids.”
The DA complaint accuses Ramaphosa of violating children’s constitutional rights. It remains to be seen if the SAHRC will take action against the President. But the political pressure is clearly mounting over his handling of rampant child hunger.
