Eastern Cape MEC for Social Development, Siphokazi Mani-Lusithi, has recently announced the provincial government’s programmes aimed at eradicating poverty to 7.7% by 2030 in pursuit of the goals of the Provincial Development Plan. In pursuit of Section 27 of the Constitution, which grants everyone a right of access to health care, food and social security the Province of the Eastern Cape has developed a Provincial Integrated Anti-Poverty Strategy (PIAPS) to accelerate integrated and coordinated service delivery. The province faces persistent high levels of poverty, characterised by increased households experiencing severe deprivations and unmet basic human needs.

This situation has been further aggravated by the emergence and the spread of the novel Coronavirus pandemic.

According to Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) the Eastern Cape Province has an estimated population of 6.7 million people and 1.8 million households. ‘’Out of the 1.8 million households in the Province, 464 838 of households, which is 25.4% of all households in the Province experience food insecurity, as they run out of money to buy food’’, explained Mani-Lusithi. In 2012, the Provincial Government adopted and later reviewed a Provincial Integrated Anti-Poverty Strategy (PIAPS), which is pro-poor, multi-sectoral and developmental in approach to poverty alleviation.