The fight against poverty has always informed the pro-poor policies and decision of this governement since 1994. This was demonstrated by the words of the founding father of our democracy, President Nelson Mandela.
As we celebrate Freedom Month, we recall the sobering words of former President Mandela that “while poverty persists, there is no true freedom”.
Since then the efforts of government was to firstly eradicate poverty, grow the economy and create jobs. Secondly, it was to cushion the poor so that no one goes to bed on an empty stomach through a number of interventions that provided hope. After 20 Years of Freedom, we can proudly say that we have made great strides to alleviate poverty.
In 1994 the democratic state inherited high poverty levels, inequalities and inequitable distribution of income. This was the result of decades of discriminatory apartheid policies which oppressed the majority of South Africans; dispossessed black people from their land and other means of livelihoods; and provided inferior education to black school children.
Since 1994 government has introduced a number of social assistance grants and other developmental social services to uplift the vulnerable especially children, people with disabilities and the aged. In addition, these initiatives were designed to deal with the security needs of the currently non-poor when faced with financial shocks and life-cycle events.
Over the past twenty years millions have benefitted from government’s pro-poor policies of which social grants are the cornerstone. Last week the Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini highlighted the “phenomenal growth” in grant beneficiaries over the past 20 years, saying it is “perhaps the single most notable indicator of government’s commitment to fighting poverty”.
Since 1994 the number of grant beneficiaries increased from 2.7 million to more than 16 million in 2013. Of these 11 million are children, while more than 2.8 million are older persons. In an effort to address gender equality, the qualifying age for the Old Age Grant for males and females was equalised, enabling men to become beneficiaries from the age of 60 instead of 65. Another milestone was the extension of the Child Support Grant until the age of 18.
With the understanding that basic services provide dignity, improve living standards and ensure better health, government is providing poor households with free basic water and electricity. According to the South Africa Twenty Year Review 1994–2014, some 3.7 million subsidised housing opportunities have been provided to the very poor, giving a home to about 12.5 million people.
The democratic government also made healthcare available to all South Africans irrespective of their financial status. User fees were abolished for primary healthcare services, while indigent users are not required to pay for hospital services. As part of the War on Poverty campaign, government offers food relief through food parcels, soup kitchens and nutritional centres.
In addition to all our social protection services, education remains an effective way to fight poverty and enable our youth to reach their full potential, and ultimately become financially independent and stable. Government is therefore committed to provide our learners with the best possible education and has put measures in place to ensure learners complete their schooling.
To enable learners from poor households to have access to education, government removed school fees for them. According to the Twenty Year Review, 78 per cent of learners in 80 per cent of public schools in 2012 were benefitting from this initiative.
The National School Nutrition Programme has also contributed to the regular attendance by learners with virtually all the learners from poor households receiving a government-funded nutritious meal every school day. Over the past two decades our pro-poor policies have made a significant difference to the lives of South Africans.
This was confirmed by Statistics South Africa when they recently released “Poverty Trends in South Africa: An Examination of Absolute Poverty Between 2006 And 2011”. At the release of the report, Statistician-General Pali Lehohla emphasised that poverty is being “tackled”. “Looking at the Millennium Development Goals, US$1 a day, South Africa has already achieved that," he stated. The report indicated that the number of people living in poverty, defined as living below the upper-bound poverty line, decreased from 27.1 million in 2006 to 23 million in 2011.
In addition, people living in extreme poverty, defined as living below the poverty line, dropped from 12.6 million in 2006 to 10.2 million in 2011. The report also credits government’s pro-poor policies for the decline in poverty. It adds that social grants have “undoubtedly contributed to the decreasing levels of poverty”. After 20 Years of Freedom, government can proudly say that our policies freed many South Africans from poverty.
In highlighting our success Minister Dlamini said “The road ahead may be long, but when we look back, despite the many challenges, the evidence that we have a good story to tell is overwhelming.” Government remains mindful that more work has to be done and we will not rest until no South African has to go to bed hungry or live in poverty.
We are steadfast in our commitment to meet the National Development Plan target of eliminating all poverty below the lower-bound poverty line by 2030. South Africa is a much better place to live in now than it was before 1994.
Going forward, government, business and civil society need to hold hands to ensure we continue to tackle the triple threat of poverty, inequality and unemployment. While these persist many South Africans will not truly experience freedom.
Phumla Williams is Acting CEO of the Government Communications and Information System (GCIS)
