The mini-budget contained one very welcome announcement: the allocation of R1.6 billion to a presidential programme to combat child stunting.
Stunting is caused by malnutrition, and South Africa has an extremely high rate of child stunting. The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) has estimated that 28% of children under five years of age are stunted.
This means that more than a quarter of South African children under five may not develop to their full potential, physically or mentally.
FairPlay has described this statistic as a national scandal, and has repeatedly called for action against stunting, because it is preventable.
In his State of the Nation Address in February, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a mission to end child stunting by 2030.
“We will focus on the crucial first 1,000 days of a child’s life. Building on existing support such as the Child Support Grant, we will implement targeted interventions to ensure that pregnant women and low birth-weight children get the protein and nutrients that they need.”
In this month’s mini-budget, finance minister Enoch Godongwana announced that R1.6 billion would be allocated to this initiative over the medium term.
No further details have been given.
President Ramaphosa labelled child stunting “a massive crisis that demands attention and resources”. We hope this presidential push means the initiative is being given a high priority.
