“In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of.” -Confucius quotes (China’s most famous teacher, philosopher, and political theorist, 551-479 BC)
Al Fidaa Foundation interacts daily with students who are too hungry to focus on lessons, hears the plight of mothers who are sole breadwinners having no food to feed siblings, poverty experienced by the elderly robbed of their grants by cruel relatives-hunger on a daily basis experienced by a the hundreds.
The Eastern Cape province has always been in the abyss of poverty and unemployment. From Graaff-Reinet to Umtata, PE to Bisho, hundreds of families experience daily hardships. With little support against the avalanche of poverty the plight of this orphaned province has reached miserable levels. Al Fidaa Foundation has initiated over thirty feeding schemes in Port Elizabeth, East London to provide instant relief for many who are not capable to improving their lot. This quick fix solution for hunger is a must, compassion demands our assistance to sustain a hungry person whilst so many live lives of luxury. Your donations will provide a simple wholesome meal to an innocent child, a patient at a clinic seeking medical attention or a student with the nutrition to absorb the lesson for the day. View our list of Soup Kitchens or click on the Gallery to see the joy your donations bring to the hundreds Al Fidaa Foundation reaches through its feeding schemes in the Eastern Cape.
POVERTY FACTS OF THE EASTERN CAPE, SOUTH AFRICA
“Of the 22 million people living in poverty in South Africa, nearly 3.9 million live in the Eastern Cape. This means that 44% of South Africa’s population and 57% of the province’s population live in poverty.”
“The International Labour Organization keeps statistics on…..indicates that South Africa’s LFPR has been falling for many years. When South Africa’s LFPR is compared with that of 189 other countries South Africa has one of the lowest rates in the world along with such countries as Iraq,the occupied Palestinian territories, Iran, Egypt and Tunisia.”
“The Eastern Cape has one of the highest levels of food insecurity in South Africa.”
“3856462 of the EASTERN CAPE live below the breadline.” “30 percent are unemployed.” According to the estimates, about 78% of the households in the province may be classified as food insecure.”
According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), a 70% or more labour absorption rate is considered good while a rate less than 50% is considered low. The Eastern Cape’s absorption rate was one of the lowest of all provinces at 39% (compared to a 41% absorption rate for the country), very revealing of poor employment prospects within the province” Source: Eastern Cape Socio Economic Consultative Council 2012 (ECSECC July 2012)
Eastern Cape back to worst unemployment in SA with nearly half without jobs
The Eastern Cape leads the stats as the province with the highest unemployment of 47.1% in the country.
Tyakume, a traditional leader in the village that is about 10 minutes from Qonce (formerly King William’s Town), detailed how his neighbours had to spend money they did not have to drain pit latrines the municipality had allegedly refused to clear.
“There are homesteads in this village that don’t have any toilets at all. People in those homes have to go to their neighbours and ask to relieve themselves,” he said. “Those who have toilets, the pit latrines need to be drained once they are filled up. This is the competency of Buffalo City, which has never drained the latrines.
About three hours west of Buffalo City is Nelson Mandela Bay metropolitan municipality, which is one of 64 dysfunctional municipalities in the country, according to a State of Local Government report tabled in parliament in August.
In Mandela Bay metro, 6 010 bucket toilets are still in existence.
Up to 10 families, with an average of about six a household, have to share one bucket toilet in Govan Mbeki village, a settlement just outside KwaDwesi township.
South Africa’s poorest province is the Eastern Cape.
Around 880,000 of the mostly rural Eastern Cape’s people live in poverty.
Source: https://southafrica-info.com/people/mapping-poverty-in-south-africa/
The Eastern Cape was the province with the highest official and expanded unemployment rates.
SA UNEMPLOYMENT RATE HIGHER THAN 81 OTHER COUNTRIES
Prominent business publication Bloomberg said the unemployment figures released by Stats SA on Tuesday means that the country has the highest unemployment rate of all the countries the publication tracks,
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Cape
The Eastern Cape leads the stats as the province with the highest unemployment of 47.1% in the country.
Youth unemployment rate had its record high of 50.8%
Source: https://www.ecsecc.org/documentrepository/informationcentre/ecsecc-labour-report-210619_73742.pdf
https://www.alfidaa.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/ecsecc-labour-report-210619_73742.pdf
However, 42.2% of the provincial population still lives in poverty, with the highest rates in the EC districts of Alfred Nzo (57.7%), OR Tambo (53.9%) and Joe Gqabi (49.8%). The lowest poverty rate is in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, at 28.3%. More in depth studies show that district municipalities vary considerably in terms of income and poverty.
According to May and Nzimande’s report on income, assets and poverty in the Eastern Cape, the Nelson Mandela and the Cacadu District municipalities have comparatively low incidence, depth and severity measures of poverty. The OR Tambo and Alfred Nzo districts have a high percentage of their population below the poverty line, and greater adversity, and depth and severity of poverty.
The OR Tambo District is of concern given its population size and that this district accounts for thirty-two per cent of the poverty gap in the Eastern Cape, followed by the Amatole District, which accounts for twenty-six per cent. These two districts also have the highest levels of unemployment (May 2012).
https://journals.co.za/doi/full/10.10520/ejc-ajpa_v12_n1_a8
https://www.alfidaa.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/ejc-ajpa_v12_n1_a8.pdf
Taps run dry in the village of Mandela’s childhood home
