Chairperson, the Treasury has from time to time put up Budget proposals which are, in the main, in keeping with the strategy of allocating resources where they are most needed. In some instances, the Treasury has even proposed tax relief measures, including rising social spending, and yet millions of South Africans continue to live in poverty, to quote the Medium-Term Budget proposal.
This means, in Azapo's terms, that there appears to be either a mismatch between the budget allocated to various government departments for poverty eradication and the actual practical steps and undertakings intended to eradicate poverty, or programmes funded for poverty eradication are not producing the desired effect. Alternatively, the yearly budgets to various departments have been spent on programmes that have no capacity to eradicate poverty, or year after year, we have become accustomed to believing departmental reports on poverty eradication that have no relevance to the process of enhancing the lives of the poor.
Otherwise how do we explain the fact that it is real? Millions of South Africans continue to live in poverty. What this means is that the pace of economic transformation that is often spoken about is happening somewhere else in our society but not where the poor and the marginalised are. This is very clear to Azapo and the statement, "Millions of South Africans continue to live in poverty" seals Azapo's conviction that something drastic should be done to eradicate poverty.
Judging by the growth of the first economy, we have indeed produced a few empowered millionaires. The new South Africa has taken root within the middle and higher classes of our society. In South Africa, the rich are indeed now networking easily in Africa and the world, thereby increasing their opportunities, and yet millions of South Africans continue to live in poverty.
This, to Azapo, is an indictment of government departments which are in a position to use these resources allocated to eradicate poverty. Azapo believes that allocating greater resources for public spending has become just an act of faith by the Minister, and that it has thus far not had any significant impact on poverty and that is why millions of South Africans continue to live in poverty.
To this end, we propose that, from now onwards, the poor must be made to participate in designing and carrying out activities that are meant to assist in eradicating poverty. Emphasis should now be placed on developing areas where the poor live, improving the poor's capacities to manage and direct their own affairs, particularly in rural, informal settlements and in the townships, for it is the poor who are the millions that continue to live in poverty. Azapo supports the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement.