2 December 2008
editorial
Johannesburg — THE news that in close to half our rural towns more than 50% of households are indigent is both alarming and unsurprising.
What it means is that vast numbers of mainly rural people have no visible form of support and are very firmly in the poverty trap, as there are no jobs in those areas either. What is also of considerable concern is that Provincial and Local Government Minister Sicelo Shiceka is working on strategies to identify indigent households rather than assisting them.
It seems to be no small accident therefore that the African National Congress (ANC) in its draft manifesto has emphasised the need to expand social grants to the poor. While this could be explained as a way of keeping its left-wing supporters in the South African Communist Party and Cosatu happy, it is also a welcome sign that reality is creeping in.
It is also possibly a sign that an ANC under increased pressure from the breakaway Congress of the People (COPE) will now really have to look to the needs of the poor in order to have a successful election. Make no mistake, COPE will be concentrating there as well and will be pointing out all the service delivery failures of the past 15 years.
There is no questioning the warnings of numerous civil society organisations that the gap between rural poor and urban wealthy is increasing all the time. As the economy shrinks as a result of the economic crisis, with slowing growth and fewer jobs being created, something will have to be done to alleviate the plight of those now identified as indigent.
But the words of Transport Minister Jeff Radebe are also reassuring. He is indicating that the ANC's election promises will be founded in reality and that targets for the creation of jobs will be placed within the global economic context. One would assume therefore that an expansion of social grants will also be based on reality and will not simply be a spending spree to get votes. Or indeed an empty election promise.
One instrument that can be used is the expanded public works programme. It has already created more than a million work opportunities and is ahead of its targets. Public Works Minister Geoff Doidge has correctly said that the launch of second phase of this programme is critical, with its budget of more than R4bn and its target of 4-million work opportunities over the next five years. He is also correct that making these more sustainable is important.
For those indigent households that do not have access to a child support grant or a state pension -- with people between 18 and 60 only -- these work opportunities will be an opportunity to earn some money with dignity. This is crucial because to have swathes of the population sitting around waiting for handouts would be counterproductive.
But if the money could be brought to the people and they produce something at the same time, that would be first prize. For this reason the parallel plan to provide incentives to local government to use labour-intensive construction methods is also an important development. Thus a local council gets a road surfaced, or a drain dug and people earn enough to feed themselves.
But at all costs it must not become a campaign football which in the end delivers nothing and serves only to line the pockets of corrupt officials.
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