The report states that Lesotho, Malawi, Swaziland and Zimbabwe have declared national drought emergencies. South Africa is meanwhile listed in the report as having declared drought emergencies in seven out of the nine provinces while Mozambique has declared a 90-day institutional alert for its southern and central regions.

According to the document, the already serious problem of acute and chronic malnutrition in the region is expected to worsen, with steep food price hikes expected in the 2016/17 marketing year. It adds the El Niño event has seriously crippled agricultural production including crops and livestock.

Meanwhile, the International Red Cross has reportedly announced a R1,5 billion injection into an initiative aimed at providing support to drought-stricken countries in Southern Africa. There are believed to be 32 million people without access to sufficient food in the region. Expectations are that this will increase to 50 million by the end of this year.

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