Pensioners struggle to afford meals

THE elderly can no longer afford to eat properly.

Last year, poverty research organisation Pietermaritzburg Justice and Dignity Group found that poor families and senior citizens have been cutting down on buying proper nutritious food. This situation has been further exacerbated by the recent 1% increase in VAT.

The first casualties of food insecurity are the elderly and children who suffer physical stunting from sustained malnutrition.

They also perform poorly at school and often pay a permanent price with their compromised cognitive abilities and potential.

Without proper nutrition, none of our developmental outcomes will come to fruition. Our educational outcomes will continue to be dire and our health sector will continue to collapse as more and more people get sick.

The ever increasing cost of electricity has also had a direct impact on poor households and the elderly. People may have food, but they cannot cook because they cannot afford electricity.

It must be noted that because of the high unemployment rate, the elderly use their meagre pensions to also take care of their families.

The government should seriously consider the call by the Pensioners’ Forum to pay pensioners R8 000 a month, to approve a substantial increase in child social grants and a 13th cheque at the end of each year to be included in the 2019/20 budget. JAYRAJ BACHU Clare Estate