Maluti-A-Phofung
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FOODFOOD INSECURITYINSECURITY ININ MALUTI-A-PHOFUNG Hello, I am Mme Mofokeng. Come with me The red circles on the map show the The levels of malnutrition, whether chronic (long- term) or acute (short-term), and the proportion of through the Maluti-A-Phofung district in the villages with many poor people. The larger the circle, the greater the 7 underweight children are among the lowest of all southeast of the Free State province. You will proportion of poor people living in that the sustainable rural development nodes in South learn about the land, its uses, the people and village. The largest concentration of poor Africa. This is not surprising, considering the good villages is in the Qwa Qwa region to the lands available for agriculture, the extensive 6 703 poverty in the area. 6 429 cultivation and the economic activity in large towns south. However, the map also shows 2 976 poor people living in townships like 2 582 like Harrismith. However, differences in levels of malnutrition will be localised, especially within the Tlholong near Kestell. Poverty is also 942 found in the commercial farming areas. villages of Qwa Qwa and some of the large townships such as Tlhlong. These people are most likely to be or Dihlabeng Maluti-A- Nketoana Phumelela Setsoto become hungry. Phofung Households experiencing chronic hunger 6 This information gives government a better idea of where the high Almost 1,000 households in Maluti-A-Phofung priority areas are and what specific report that members “often” or “always” go programmes to implement to help hungry. Far higher rates of hunger are the people of this district. apparent in other rural development nodes and in neighbouring local municipalities. Chronic malnutrition Children underweight 7039 1 Acute malnutrition 4516 3971 The largest concentration of people is in the villages of 3904 3066 2666 2655 2562 2531 Qwa Qwa, in the southwest of the district. Two out of 2132 1866 three people from Maluti-A-Phofung live in this area, while 1676 869 812 771 392 243 the remainder live in towns like Harrismith. The village 5 0 Households in with the highest density of people is 42nd Hill, with 7 039 Maluti-A-Phofung people per square kilometre. Most of the population is 42 46 44 Kestell Bolata spend relatively little Thibela 49 Tshiame Tlholong Mabolela below the age of 20 years. Although there are many Matsieng 42nd Hill Intabazwe 60 Namahadi Harrismith income on food, Phomolong Monontsha Witsieshoek people with no schooling, many others have a secondary Thaba Bosiu Thaba Tshweu especially in education. There are fewer with a primary education, and Phuthaditjhaba Maluti-A-Phofung Municipal average 23 10 18 comparison to most this could be a problem in the future. Most of the people Population density (people per square km) 22 12 neighbouring local speak Sesotho. municipalities. 44 38 However, households 34 30 28 in Maluti-A-Phofung spend relatively more Dihlabeng Maluti-A- Nketoana Phumelela Setsoto Total population Phofung on housing, transport and other items. 4.14 - 117.87 Expenditure (%) 117.88 - 330.12 Food It is not surprising to see that there 330.13 - 408.31 5 is extensive commercial agricultural Housing and transport 408.32 - 1013.33 in the arable land throughout the All other central and northern parts of umption Survey (2000) • HSRC Maluti-A-Phofung. In the southern 1013.34 - 1211.47 parts around the villages of Qwa Node boundary Qwa, no commercial or subsistence Arable land agriculture is found. 4 2 3 People in Maluti-A-Phofung get their income in combination: from wages, social grants and remittances, like people in neighbouring districts. However, when it comes to grants, the district is only half as dependent on social grants as is Nketoana municipality. Maluti-A-Phofung does reasonably well when it comes to wages More than three quarters of but not nearly as well as what Dihlabeng municipality does with its large town of Bethlehem. Maluti-A-Phofung is arable. These arable lands are situated in the central and northern parts of the district. 28 60 61 There are no arable lands in the south 21 where most of the people are located. 19 20 45 40 39 This is because the lands become too 35 35 steep as they form the foothills of the 24 23 9 21 Drakensberg Mountains. Cultivated agriculture Dihlabeng Maluti-A- Nketoana Phumelela Setsoto Dihlabeng Maluti-A- Nketoana Phumelela Setsoto Dihlabeng Maluti-A- Nketoana Phumelela Setsoto Subsistence agriculture Phofung Phofung Phofung Remittances (% of households) Grants (% of households) Wages (% of households) Sources of data: Dept Agriculture • ARC-ISCW Statistics South Africa - GHS (2005), 2001 Census National Food Cons.