338. Mr J J Gunda (ID-NC) to ask the Deputy President:
Whether, with regard to the War on Poverty Campaign, any measures are
in place to eradicate poverty in the (a) short and (b) long term; if
not, why not; if so, what (i) measures and (ii) are the further
relevant details? CW396E
REPLY
When Cabinet adopted the War on Poverty Campaign, it was conceptualised as
a short-term campaign that utilises the menu of interventions already in
place to address the challenges of poverty. In other words, the Campaign
came about following Cabinet reflections that showed that although
government had numerous programmes in place to address the challenges of
poverty, certain individuals and groups were continuously being missed.
Therefore, the Campaign set out to bring into the fold these individuals
and groups who were otherwise not receiving services that they are entitled
to like all other citizens.
The Campaign therefore adopted a particular approach whose main elements
include:
â Clear definition of the poverty matrix of our country;
â Development of a proper database of households living in
poverty;
â Identification and implementation of specific interventions
relevant to these households;
â Monitoring of progress in these households as the programmes
take effect in graduating them out of poverty;
â In this context, addressing all indigence, especially the high
numbers of women so affected;
â Co-ordinating and aligning all anti-poverty programmes to
maximise impact and avoid wastage and duplication;
â Acceleration of the training of Family Social Workers at
professional and auxiliary levels to ensure that identified
households are properly supported and monitored;
â Involvement of public representatives
â Mobilisation of NGOs and private sector
â Development of a form or template for household profiling
â Establishment of system to monitor follow-up of submissions
â Proper recording and processing of information in databases in
departments
Given the explanation above, the measures to eradicate poverty within the
context of the War on Poverty Campaign need to be understood as anchored in
the existing interventions of government guided for example by the
commitment of government to:
â Meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015;
â Meet the universal access to basic services (water,
electricity, sanitation, refuse removal) by 2014;
â Access to free basic education, including the establishment of
no-fee schools;
â Access to free basic health for those that do qualify;
â Provision of subsidised housing (shelter);
â Provision of decent employment through public employment
schemes such as the Expanded Public Works Program, Community
Public Works;
â Further educational and vocational training;
â Skills development;
â Enterprise development support;
â Social assistance grants
Having implemented the Campaign for a few years now, the profiling of
households continues, including identifying the spread across the country.
However, from the lessons we have learnt thus far, from now on, added
emphasis will now be placed on the following in order to ensure long-term
sustainability:
â Identifying change agents in the profiled households;
â Identifying and monitoring support provided to the change
agents;
â Unlocking area economic potential;
â Establishing necessary institutional and structural
arrangements for the delivery of the support and unlocking of
area economic potential where currently absent; where these
exist but weak, capacitate them; where they are established,
consolidate and ensure replicability;
â Monitor and report performance according to agreed upon
schedule