Cape town (Sunatimes) A South African aid group has on Wednesday warned Africa’s slow response to the famine in drought-hit Somalia risked sending a message of apathy to the rest of the world.

Gift of the Givers Foundation chairman, Imtiaz Sooliman who returned Tuesday from the Somali capital Mogadishu African government’s response to famine situation in Somalia is very slow.

Sooliman criticised the absence of international aid groups on the ground in Mogadishu and urged South Africa to make a substantial contribution.

Gift of the Givers Foundation chairman says the AU has postponed a pledging conference while children were dying daily.

The South African government has raised eight million rand for Somalia and has pledged half to Sooliman’s group whose recent aid delivery cost 12 million rand ($1.7 million, including transport.

By Abdullahi Mohamed