South Africa: Government must step up to alleviate food security crisis — civil society groups

The President’s plan to expand the basket of zero-rated foods is good news for hard-pressed consumers, but won’t do much to reduce malnutrition in South Africa, say civil society organisations.

In his Opening of Parliament Address (OPA) last week, President Cyril Ramaphosa said, “We will look to expand the basket of essential food items exempt from VAT and undertake a comprehensive review of administered prices, including the fuel price formula, to identify areas where prices can…