Chairperson, we appear to have attained political and economic stability, but poverty and inequality stubbornly deny us stability. In spite of a number of legislative developments that saw a steadily growing black middle class, the majority of black people still live in abject poverty and mass unemployment.
It is time that we rethink the strategies that we employ in social development, as they have not yielded impressive results thus far. It does not mean that nothing has been done; of course, we acknowledge the many strides that social development has taken in creating better livelihoods for mainly the vulnerable groups.
However, we continue to contend with multiple crises of unemployment, landlessness, homelessness, lack of basic services, HIV/Aids, food insecurity and unacceptable levels of crime and violence. If we are ever going to meaningfully change this, we must first acknowledge that we are indeed in a crisis.
More than ever, we need collaborative leadership amongst various stakeholders in development. We must acknowledge the potential that civil society and business have, and thus invite them with their set of skills and resources to assist government on how to handle the crisis of poverty and the growing inequality.
We acknowledge progressive policy frameworks and positive partnerships that already exist. However, the department and its stakeholders must work towards attaining efficient utilisation of resources. The department must do away with constant bureaucratic red tape that makes it difficult for the ordinary citizenry to access services. Communities must be empowered and the department must work towards building meaningful public participation in its programmes.
We have a beautiful Constitution which gives us a common vision of a just society that has entrenched civic and socioeconomic rights, leading to a truly democratic and developmental state. We must all participate and ensure that such a vision is visible in our lifetime. The UCDP supports Vote No 19. Thank you. [Applause.]