Address poverty, inequality, State urged

from the Daily Dispatch Online

HALFWAY through the second decade of democracy not enough has been done to address trends in poverty, inequality, and State legitimacy.

Launching the Towards a 15-year Review, the head of policy co-ordination and advisory services in the Presidency, Joel Netshitenzhe, said the challenges identified five years ago had proved more “deep seated” than previously recognised.

Netshitenzhe said while the country had gone a long way to eradicating apartheid and had “notched up” a faster rate of growth and development, new challenges had emerged.

“Growth has exposed weaknesses ... the increase in the rate of growth, does not necessarily result in a reduction in poverty.” Nor had growth reduced inequality, he said.

“The State has had to learn new ways of doing things as it implemented, but not always have these been decisive and flexible enough.”

Netshitenzhe said South Africa could continue on the path that it followed – ensuring some progress – but barely denting structural ills.

These included economic structure, massive unemployment among youth and the unskilled, inequality, poor quality in some social services, and trends in violent crime.

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