Small-scale fishing communities across South Africa have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated lockdown restrictions.
Masifundise, with the support of Open Society Foundation, conducted an awareness roadshow in Sept-Dec 2020 to distribute PPEs, to reinforce the need for precautions, to run an educational campaign, and to assess the impact that the pandemic has had on these communities.
Fishers spoke about the challenges that they had faced during these times, and the ways in which they were prevented from putting food on the table and practicing their livelihood activities. These challenges highlight the faults in our food system as well as the need for a more localised production system and value chain. Masifundise will continue to support for the fight for a food system that places local people in the centre of decision-making and ownership of their culture, tradition, and livelihoods.