This is according to Sandra Boatemaa of the Centre for Complex Systems in Transition at Stellenbosch University. Boatemaa says the country’s food-security policies cover a large track of critical terrain, including support for land reform and the provision of social grants, boosting of field crop production, and the provision of nutrition education - but 30% of households in the country reportedly go hungry. She says it’s not surprising that black and coloured communities bear the highest burden of food insecurity and malnutrition. Boatemaa further indicated that at least 25% of the country’s children are estimated to suffer from of impaired growth, caused by malnutrition, and it has been a constant cause of concern for them.

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Free State Agriculture (FSA) has asked the Provincial Government, under the leadership of Premier Sisi Ntombela, to seriously pay attention to problems at the border between South Africa and Lesotho. This comes as stock theft at the border escalated significantly in the past few months, and according to Jane Buys, Safety and Risk Analyst at FSA, border crime is a national problem that requires intervention from the Provincial Government. She told OFM News that FSA’s management met with various roleplayers at the border, that included representatives of Lesotho’s army and police, the South African police, and leaders in Lesotho. Buys says they believe building a border road and line would be one of the solutions, but they are still awaiting public comment regarding the matter.

OFM News/Michael Tlhakudi