BUILDING A BETTER LIFE
Left: “We, the people, belong to one another. We live the rainbow” - Minister Trevor Manuel.
This page: Everyone has the right to clean water.
Modest as the amount is, about 39per cent of South Africans live below this line.
By 2030, no one should live in poverty.
The other measure which is much more difficult is inequality. Economists use a measure called the Gini Co-efficient to measure income inequality: the higher the measure, the more unequal the income distribution is. South Africa has a very high Gini Co-efficient of 0.69, and we seek to reduce that to 0.60 by 2030. Development is a complex process. Our approach to tackling poverty and inequality is premised on faster and more inclusive economic growth, higher public and private investment, improving education and skills, greater use of technology, knowledge and innovation and better public services, all leading to higher employment, rising incomes and falling inequality.
The National Development Plan affords us an opportunity to rethink our strategy. A holistic approach is required, with progress across several fronts simultaneously over an extended period of time.
Mobilizing all society to improve society
While we can measure income and income inequality, the concept of a decent standard of living is much broader than income.
A decent standard of living includes: healthy nutrition, access to household services such as water and electricity, available public transport, quality education and skills, safe communities, decent healthcare, full employment, accessible recreation and leisure and entitlement to a clean environment.
performance since 1994. The NDP focuses on how we can translate our political emancipation into social and economic benefits for all South Africans, but particularly for young people. It is critical for the future of our country that we change their life chances.
Setting long-range targets The methodology used in the plan
was to set overarching objectives, to set key targets for various sectors and to make recommendations on how these targets can be achieved. This is a broad strategic plan, not a detailed plan. The commission has been careful to distinguish between a broad strategy, specific policies of government and the day-to-day actions of business, government or trade unions.
The commission has drawn from our constitution the perspective that the future we must construct is one where no person lives in poverty and where together we deal decisively to root out the deep inequality that we have inherited. We are convinced that our country can and must eliminate poverty. We have used a simple poverty measure of Rand 432 per person per month in today’s terms.
The commission’s approach is to address living standards inclusively for all South Africans. It recognizes that government on its own cannot improve living standards. We require determined and measurable action by all social actors, and partnerships across society, to raise living standards.
Development planning is about building linkages between these various strands of everyday life. For
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