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Since the national
lockdown began, many people face severe hunger as they struggle to
make ends meet. So even though the food supply chain has not been
affected according to Mrs. Thoko Didiza (Minister of Agriculture,
Land Reform and Rural Development), many in our community are
struggling to put food on the table.
Serapeng
sa Basadi
is a women-led organisation that seeks to promote food security in
communities in the Sebokeng area in Gauteng. Karibu!
spoke to Mamosweu Tsoabi,one of the leaders of this organisation.
“The COVID-19 lockdown made people realise that most of the things
we invested in were not that important.” Tsoabi said. “Only now
do we realise how much we neglected things that matter the most. We
got used to depending on the grid. We get our food from the
supermarkets instead of producing our own. We get our energy from
ESKOM instead of producing our own renewable energy. All this costs
us money, and to get that money we need to work. Now that we’re in
lockdown, we can’t go to work and there is no money. This means we
have to starve and stay in the dark. We can’t afford to buy food and
electricity”.
Tsoabi and the Serapeng
sa Basadi
team are working hard to fulfill their goals, and the COVID-19
pandemic has confirmed for them the importance of their work for the
community. “In Waterdal, Serapeng sa Basadi project donated winter
vegetable seeds to 50 out of 75 households, Many people in Waterdal
realised that they have only their land left,” she says,
emphasising the issue of self employment to be self sufficient as the
only option they have. “People started by removing their lawns.
Then we came and demonstrated how to design their food gardens. This
is to promote agricultural villages where each household will be able
to produce their own vegetables. On 17 April 2020, the Sebokeng
community asked the Serapeng sa Basadi team to transfer plant
production skills to those who started. This will also address the
issue of movement during lockdown. People will have their food garden
in their yards, so this will reduce traveling for food. This will
also address the issue of unemployment since people won’t have to
leave their homes to seek employment”, she said.
“Serapeng
sa Basadi’s long term goal is to establish a marketand sustain our
village,” Tsoabi said. “We do not depend much on the Department
of Agriculture as our experience with them is that things take
forever, and we did not want to create unnecessary hope in our
community. With this project, we aim to raise a culture of
independence where people will build their skills, and have the
confidence in their ability to do for themselves.”
With
regards to the relief fund announced by Minister Didiza in her press
conference, Tsoabi said, “We rely best on NGO support work, and
through the Horticulture Network platforms we have been exposed to,
we have been able to survive thus far.”
This
article was submitted on 24 April 2020. You may republish this
article, so long as you credit the authors and Karibu! Online
(www.Karibu.org.za), and do not change the text. Please include a
link back to the original article.
