Chairperson, Minister and Deputy Minister, let me first greet our old people who are sitting in the gallery today. I must say that were it not for their commitment, perseverance and determination to fight the brutal forces of apartheid, we would not be sitting here today.
It is worth noting that a major achievement in the post-1994 period has been the securing of constitutional safeguards for the right to social security and social assistance for people who are in need. The Deputy President announced in the antipoverty conference late last year that he believed South Africa could eradicate poverty in a period of not more than 20 years. The question is: Are we winning the war against poverty? The answer may be yes and no. The fact is that South Africa is a 45:55 society. It has one of the most unequal income distributions in the world. More wealth has to be created to roll back poverty from 45:55 to 30:70 by 2014.
However, the challenge for government is to offer the poor an immediate safety net. The promise of a better life and smarter and faster service delivery must never be a smoke screen. As South Africa held local government elections last month, the nation has been inundated by a wave of social unrest. Although each case appears isolated and tied to specific local government grievances, the proliferation of protests after the elections must surely spook the government.
Earlier this year the Minister of Social Development revealed that by March 2011 social grant beneficiaries had increased to approximately 14 million. This is 30% of the country's population, according to the South African Institute of Race Relations. Social grants are one of government's strategies to alleviate poverty.
Our country now has a significant budgetary deficit. Its tax base is 16%, while the unemployment rate of 15- to 24-year-olds is about 51%. Unemployment is the highest in African women, at 63%. The overall unemployment, including discouraged job seekers, stands at 37%. Of poor individuals, 59,3% are rural dwellers. Living conditions in this country are deteriorating. The crime rate is not decreasing. [Interjections.] Women in Springvalley, a farm outside Stilfontein in the North West, are selling their bodies for R10 because of desperation and hunger. And 45% of all female-headed households live below the lower-bound poverty line, compared to only 25% of male-headed households. [Interjections.]
The female-headed households are also ravaged by children using drugs. Mothers are breaking down and killing their own drug-addicted daughters and sons. They roam the streets at night, looking for their children in hospitals and other places. The number of drug addicts requiring treatment has increased by 34%, according to the South African National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, SANCA.