According to statistics kept by the Eastern Cape Department of Health, 1,722 children under the age of five in the province were newly diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition between August 2022 and September 2023. Of these, 114 died - 101 of severe acute malnutrition and 13 of moderate malnutrition.

Between August 2022 and September 2023, 1,722 cases of severe acute malnutrition in children were diagnosed in the Eastern Cape. Of these, 101 died, as did another 13 who were diagnosed with moderate to severe acute malnutrition.

Thousands more presented with symptoms but were sent to other facilities for treatment.

The provincial health department only keeps statistics for children under five.

On Thursday 9 November, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) found, following an in-depth investigation, that child hunger in the Eastern Cape qualifies as a disaster and should be declared as such under the Disaster Management Act.

The SAHRC has said this might ensure a more coordinated response to the crisis by the provincial government.

The Eastern Cape head of the SAHRC, Dr Eileen Carter, said the data provided to them in August 2022 showed that, from 2021 to 2022, more than 1,000 children were diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition in the province and almost 120 of them had died.

It also showed that 25% of the province's children are stunted - that's one in four children.

"But this condition is underreported," she said. "It is a much bigger issue than what the data is showing," Carter said....