Politician and human rights activist Graça Machel challenged leaders of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) on Friday (17) to present a concrete plan to end hunger across the region, arguing that sufficient resources exist to ensure food production.
Speaking to journalists in Maputo, Graça Machel said she would like to see regional leaders prioritise food production, questioning the region’s dependence on imports and the persistence of hunger despite SADC countries possessing “land, rivers” and, in some cases, having once been “models of food production.”
Machel argued that the regional bloc places too much emphasis on holding meetings and adopting resolutions without responding effectively to the shared social and economic challenges facing its member states.
She also identified youth unemployment as one of the region’s greatest challenges, questioning why thousands of young people continue to travel to South Africa to carry out informal work that, she argued, they could equally undertake in their own countries.
“Why do thousands of young people go to South Africa to sell goods on the streets or braid hair? The things they do there—why can’t they do them here? Or why don’t they feel motivated to stay here?” she asked.
The former Minister of Education also called for greater solidarity among the peoples of the region and advocated the involvement of women’s organisations, trade unions, business leaders and young people in preventing tensions and strengthening regional integration.
South Africa, long a preferred destination for African migrant workers, has in recent weeks experienced protests and unrest targeting immigrants, who have been accused of taking jobs from South African citizens.
According to the Mozambican Government, xenophobic violence has already claimed the lives of 11 Mozambicans. Two more Mozambican citizens were seriously injured in an armed attack on Tuesday in South Africa’s Gauteng Province, reportedly linked to the ongoing violence against immigrants, according to Mozambique’s Information Office (Gabinfo).
To date, Mozambique has received 1,363 repatriated citizens affected by the violence, while also providing transit assistance to 6,156 Malawian nationals fleeing the same situation.
Source: Lusa
