Singer Craig Lucas and comedian Marc Lottering are using their star power to shine a light on the needs of soup kitchens and feeding schemes around the city.
In a bid to get the attention of President Cyril Ramaphosa to focus on hunger in the country, they’ve made a series of videos.
Dubbed the Dear Mr President Video Project, the videos will tell the stories of desperate communities across the country.
The videos, accompanied by a song performed by Craig called What About the People, will be personally delivered by Marc and Joanie Fredericks of the Mitchells Plain Community Action Network this week.
Marc says previous pleas to the government have fallen on deaf ears and this was an urgent attempt to get its attention by representing communities and their leaders from across the country who are battling to their families.
“People are going to starve to death if the government does not fulfil its promises. I’m not on the ground every day, but from what I have witnessed on a few occasions, men, women and children are still standing in that queue, long after the pots are empty,” he tells Cape Argus.
“It’s a matter of life or death. Politicians have unashamedly stolen from the poor. This is a horror story, and I have witnessed it.”
Joanie said the number of people who use feeding schemes as their primary source of food has increased tenfold as thousands of people have lost their jobs, businesses, and all forms of income because of the Coronavirus lockdown.
Posted by Craig Lucas on Monday, August 10, 2020
“As a result, whole families are now dependent on support from food kitchens. The reality is that sponsors are no longer able to help and we are battling to feed our communities.
“The crisis is deepening, and without real intervention it could become a catastrophe,” she said.
Marc says they have received about 50 videos and are hoping more will come in.
“The idea is to make the president aware that our government has failed the poor all around the country,” he said.