The elderly are going hungry

from the Independent On line

Lyse Comins

Many South African pensioners are on the verge of malnourishment and starvation because of escalating food prices and can no longer afford even basic items, old age associations and consumer groups have warned.

National consumer groups have urged the government to listen to the plight of consumers, especially the poor, and take immediate action to arrest rising food prices.

Items like frozen chicken portions, meat cuts, pilchards in tomato sauce and cooking oil, once considered staples in pensioners' shopping baskets have become unaffordable luxuries which only the fortunate few purchase very occasionally.

Even private pensioners have adjusted their grocery spending as a result of the higher petrol price and food inflation, which according to the National Agricultural Marketing Council's (NAMC) most recent report was 13,4 percent in January.

There is worldwide concern at rising food prices. In recent days World Bank president Robert Zoellick warned that a doubling of food prices over the past three years could potentially push 100-million people in low-income countries deeper into poverty.

Basic food prices have risen sharply in recent months, sparking violent protests in many countries, including Haiti, Egypt, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Mauritania, Ethiopia, Madagascar, the Philippines and Indonesia.

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has warned of similar riots here and is planning protests to draw attention to rising food prices. The union wants a reduction in the price of bread as a refund for price collusion by some companies and would ask for a zero value added tax rating on basic foods, as well as subsidies for the poor.

Chatsworth pensioner Garaunagiee Govindamma, 68, is one of the lucky few to enjoy two meals a day at the Durban Association for the Aged, but she still struggles to survive on her R940 a month old age pension.

"It is quite hard because I rent an outbuilding for R600 a month and I have to buy food with the rest of my money. Oil is too expensive and rice, sugar and flour, which are the most important things, are more expensive. Chicken and mutton is very expensive so I don't buy a lot. I eat mostly vegetables."

Rose Nhleko, 60, of Umlazi and her husband both receive a state pension which they use to support themselves and their granddaughter. They are struggling to make ends meet.

"Everything is so expensive. I used to use oil a lot before, but not since the price went up. I sometimes keep fat from meat to use. I look for specials all the time to survive. Often we only buy items that are on special."

Durban Association for the Aged chairwoman Parbathy Naidoo said pensioners are finding it increasingly difficult to survive on their meagre pensions. She too has had to drop many items from her grocery list.

"I buy only what I have to; rice, oil, bread. I eat mostly vegetables and have cut down on meat, even canned pilchards are a luxury now," Naidoo said.

The Association for the Aged spokeswoman Femida Shaman said the elderly were getting by "with great difficulty" but she feared the worst was yet to come as prices were still rising.

"The price of oil is absolutely shocking and it's just the tip of the iceberg, we will be seeing people malnourished and not eating at all. A basket of groceries alone comes to nothing less than R1 200 and the elderly still have to pay rent, doctors and for medicine."

According to the NAMC survey, over the past year the price of maize went up 28 percent, bread 16,21 percent, oil 66,01 percent, fresh milk 37,92 percent and pilchards in tomato sauce increased by 11,15 percent.

A ton of wheat now costs R4 000 and the price of maize, although Vat-free, has almost doubled to R1 950 a ton since March 2006.

National Consumer Forum Chairman Thami Bolani said pensioners had sought assistance from the organisation.

National Consumer Union chairwoman Ina Wilken said high food prices were "getting out of hand".