PHOTOS: Anarchy Over Food Parcels Not Delivered in Durban, South Africa

Today saw violent protests erupt in Shallcross, Durban, as food parcels were again not delivered… writes photojournalist Kierran Allen. As I have said before… people are hungry, desperate and will take drastic measures to get what they want, or – should I say – what they have been promised!

Forty-five days have passed in this Covid-19 lockdown. Is South Africa on the brink of total anarchy??

How much longer can our country sustain the already volatile situations we are all faced with? Where are these ‘relief’ funds? From where I stand I see very little getting to the people who need it the most! Communities are crying out for aid and are being met with yet more empty promises!

In conversation with people on the ground, they say they are upset with the lack of aid when it’s been promised to them. I hear almost every day of ward councillors and various government officials being caught red-handed stealing these so called food parcels, I am yet to lay my eyes on.

It’s desperate times for most out there, but stealing food designated for the poverty-stricken townships is just plain disgusting.

The knock-on effect is that it is literally taking food out of people’s mouths and causing unnecessary issues.

While I’m not defending the violent acts these protestors do I can understand their drive and anger, and what motivates this.

You have to see it from the point of not being able to feed your children who have not eaten for four days! After numerous promises of aid, food parcels, grants etc to just receive nothing is just not good enough.

I watch the news and see all these so-called relief funds and how people are jumping on the bandwagon… but on the ground I see rubber bullets, tear gas, corruption and communities starving. But let’s talk about the reasons in a separate post.

I take my hat off to the law enforcement on the ground. Police are faced with hard decisions every day. Put yourself in a situation where a community is willing to fight to the death to eat. You fire rubber bullets to disperse a crowd… and they fire AK47 rounds back at you, stone you, light fires and cause total anarchy!

Well done to SAPS, Metro and all involved; it’s really a difficult situation to handle and I constantly see how you all handle it with such pride and understanding!

For me it’s really not easy to speak out about things and bring light to areas that would be pushed aside, however I think it’s necessary.

I have received quite mixed responses – some people just don’t think further than Woolies being out of strawberries or focus on complaints about alcohol sales.

To those that appreciate the risk we take to create this content and bring light to the true, real matters out there, Thank You. My assistant Marcus and myself are really putting in the time; trust me when I tell you it’s not easy.

I think it’s important to tell the stories people turn a blind eye to, to shed light on the truth and make people think just a little further than our everyday lives.

We will continue to tell the truth and create content with a purpose!

You can follow Kierran Allen for daily updates on his Facebook page, or on his website here: www.kierranallen.com