When the COVID-19 pandemic hit South Africa for the first time in March 2020, no one could have anticipated the long-term socio-economic impact that would transpire.
With very limited time to prepare for the impact of the pandemic, the government had to balance the health benefits of implementing strong social distancing measures versus the detrimental impact on the country’s economy as a result of the hard lockdown regulations. Employment levels fell dramatically, with low-skilled and lesser-educated workers being hit the hardest, placing additional strain on the livelihoods of low income and food-insecure households. In addition to this, the discontinuation of school feeding programmes meant that nine million children from vulnerable households were now suffering from child hunger and malnutrition.
