Non-profit organisations want halt to SA’s R50m donation to Cuba

By Betty Moleya

PRETORIA - The Department of International Relations and Co-operation’s R50 million donation to Cuba has not been well received by non-profit organisations in the country, who have since come together and created a petition to halt the donation.

Through the Hunger Relief Coalition, they are attempting to stop the donation made by the department to Cuba, which has been affected by food security problems due to sanctions imposed by the US. In the petition, they said the government should rather focus on hunger relief in South Africa.

Marion Tanzer, general manager of Chefs with Compassion, one of the organisations in the coalition, said the purpose of the petition was to create awareness among the public of the donation to Cuba and hunger statistics in South Africa.

“We would ultimately like to meet with the Minister of Social Development (Lindiwe Zulu) to discuss the way forward as a partnership between government and the NPO sector to eradicate hunger,” said Tanzer.

The coalition believes that if they were included in funding, they would put the money to good use and alleviate poverty.

“We would like the government to give us access to what they are spending on hunger relief and what measures they are taking to relieve hunger in our country.

“We have made more than 2.5 million meals over the past 20 months from rescued produce that would otherwise go to landfills. If we (and the other organisations listed in our petition) could engage with the government on this matter, we believe we could find a way forward.“

Tanzer said organisations were using their money and resources to feed people in their communities. Corporate funding is becoming more and more difficult to obtain and NPOs are battling to stay afloat.

The coalition, which consists of 60 NPOs, said it understands why the donation is being made, and they also respect the importance of international relations, and support the government’s involvement in helping other countries. “Our concern is that there is not enough being done within South Africa to assist our own citizens who are unemployed and hungry.”

Last week MPs also joined the chorus of voices taking a swipe at the handout, citing the myriad of problems that should be handled at home first.

The department has yet to comment on the matter.