'Disaster' Looms Over South Africa, Says Archbishop
Poverty in South Africa has been described as being worse than ever before, according to a former Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town.
Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane, who recently visited suffering communities in the African country, says South Africa is in a "state of emergency."
Going further, he says there was a "feeling of hopelessness" overwhelming the country, especially among young people, and adds that this is a sure recipe for disaster.
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"Never before in the history of South Africa have such large gatherings of people consistently said 'We have no food,'" he said after his visits. "In a country where huge amounts can be spent on [the 2010] soccer world cup or increasing salaries, it is unthinkable that so many can go without food."
Ndungane has challenged government officials to travel with him to visit those in poverty, and to address the problems pushing them down.
In particular, the archbishop challenged a budgetary statement released by the government earlier this week. He said that it suggested the nation was "okay in view of the global economic crisis."
"The people of South Africa living in poverty are saying they are not okay," Ndungane declared. "They are hungry and struggling. They are unemployed."
Recent figures released have shown that unemployment levels in South Africa have risen to about 25 percent.
The archbishop warned that widespread social unrest is among the potential consequences of the frustration people were current feeling.
Ndungane urged the government to do more to provide the poor with resources to improve their own situations. Rather than government grants, he urged them to provide farming equipment and seeds as a more efficient long-term solution.
According to the World Bank, the number of poor people in Africa has risen from 200 million in 1981 to 380 million in 2005.
