More Than 1 400 SA Children Starved to Death These Last Two Tears

Dear Editor

1 457 children died of acute malnutrition in the past two year in South Africa, the majority of which were due to severe acute malnutrition (SAM). KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, the Eastern Cape, and Gauteng were the hardest hit with 265, 230, 190, and 172 deaths respectively since 1 January 2023 to 8 November 2024 when the Department extracted the data from the District Health Information System.

This tragedy was revealed by the Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, in answer to a written parliamentary question from the DA.

He has further revealed that newborn mortality rates and stillbirth rates have showed little decline, and that there are “limited mechanisms are in place for ensuring that services for mothers and children are protected” given a declining budget and rising cost-of-living.

In 2023, a DA question revealed that 12 582 children died from SAM and moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) in the decade since 2013.

Between 2018/19 and 2022/23, SAM rose by 26.3%. In 2022, 2.4 per 1 000 children under the age of 5 were diagnosed with SAM – approximately 13 668 children that year with a population of about 5 695 000 children under 4 years.

At least one in four children in South Africa are stunted – a direct result of malnutrition. What is more concerning is that stunting is on the increase.

And in 2020, 10% of children in South Africa lived in households that reported child hunger.

It is clear that urgent intervention is needed and that the Department of Health must strengthen its links with community outreach programmes to reach and assist as many acutely malnourished children as possible to prevent further complications.

The DA will submit further written questions to determine the success and possible blind spots of the Department’s programmes.

Regards

Michele Clarke MP
DA Spokesperson on Health