Archbishop warns of poverty crisis in South Africa

Poverty in South Africa has been described as worse than ever before, according to a former Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town.

Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane, who recently went on a visit of suffering communities in the African country, has said South Africa was in a "state of emergency".

In addition, he said there was a "feeling of hopelessness" overwhelming the country, especially among young people, and he said that this was a sure recipe for "disaster".

He said, "Never before in the history of South Africa have such large gatherings of people consistently said 'we have no food. In a country where huge amounts can be spent on [the 2010] soccer world cup or increasing salaries, it is unthinkable that so many can go without food."

Recent figures released have shown that unemployment levels have risen to about 25 per cent. Archbishop Ndungane has challenged government officials to travel with him to visit those in poverty, and to address the problems pushing them down.

In particular, the archbishop challenged a budgetary statement released by the government earlier this week. He said that it suggested the nation was "okay in view of the global economic crisis".

However, he said, ""The people of South Africa living in poverty are saying they are not okay. They are hungry and struggling. They are unemployed."

He warned that the potential consequences of the frustration people were current feeling, was widespread social unrest.

The archbishop urged the government to do more to provide the poor with resources to improve their own situations. Rather than government grants, he urged them to provide farming equipment and seeds as a more efficient long-term solution.

According to the World Bank, the number of poor people in Africa has risen from 200m in 1981 to 380m in 2005.