Imagine finding a double-yoked egg in these tough Rama-era times! You will be forgiven to bet your last randelas on the lotto thinking your lucky stars are finally smiling at you. But please do not be tempted to do anything that silly. You need to save every cent.
All signs point to things getting a lot worse before they get better … if they ever do get any better for people playing catch up on many seasons and years of setbacks.
The past few years have been testing for South Africans. From crippling power blackouts, water shortages, cholera fatalities to the price of cooking oil and petrol, South Africans have been feeling the pinch of very tightly fastened belts.
As if this was not enough, we had to deal with a shortage of eggs brought about by the outbreak of avian flu in eight of the country’s nine provinces. There are many efforts to deal with the shortage, with some stores rationing eggs.
At some major supermarkets used by the working class and poor South Africans, the shelves are empty. Those that have stock are selling it at a premium. Oh, and the many small businesses whose products require eggs as an essential ingredient are dying along with the infected birds.
And the thought of not having enough chicken as the festive season approaches is unthinkable. Chicken – the affordable meat option for struggling families many of whom depend on social grants – will be in short supply.
Suffer those small-scale broiler farmers, the farming option of choice for those with shallow pockets.
The avian flu’s negative impact is felt on the street corner, where cages of chickens would be displayed for sale in most townships. Another source of income taken away from families already struggling to make ends meet.
Gone are those days when street vendors not only had double-trays stacked with boiled eggs, and you wouldn’t think twice about buying them? Nowadays it is only those who can afford to splurge R40 or more for just six eggs … if they are available, who indulge in this once-accessible source of protein.
Don’t you miss those open boots from small-scale farmers at big intersections filled with trays of eggs, some with the fluff still stuck on them. Not only are eggs in short supply, but their prices have also gone through the roof.
And it might also take a long time after the avian flu is under control for those small-scale egg and chicken sellers to earn back the trust of customers. It is always the little guys who suffer the most when times are hard. And times are tough.
