Volume II - The Northern Cape Provincial Spatial Development ...

Northern Cape PSDF
Volume 2
Office of the Premier &
Department of Rural Development & Land Reform
December 2011
experienced a 9.2% decrease in poverty from 1996 to 2009. The Namaqua District experienced an
8.3%increase in poverty from 1996 to 2009.
Reducing poverty is one of the key challenges for economic development. Higher levels of
economic growth are a key challenge for poverty eradication. Investment in people is pivotal to
redressing the poverty and vast inequalities inherited from apartheid and in addressing the rate
and pattern of growth. Investment in people is also, to a large extent, about delivering social and
economic infrastructure: education, welfare, health, housing, as well as transport and bulk
infrastructure. Infrastructure delivery assures minimum standards and redistribution. Due to the
vastness of the Northern Cape, and the remoteness of its communities in mostly rural areas,
certain challenges exist regarding the implementation of projects, because delivery costs are very
high and expertise and skills are scarce resources (PGDS).
E.2.1.1 POVERTY ALLEVIATION FOCUS AREA
The PGDS identified a number of poverty alleviation focus areas, such as:
a) Inter‐Sectoral Collaboration: A Food Security and Nutrition Task Team has been formed to
respond to the food crisis that vulnerable individuals and households are experiencing.
b) Food Security: Providing food to the needy has led to the funding of Community Soup
Kitchens and it is in collaboration with departments in the Social Sector (i.e. agriculture,
education, health and water affairs, and forestry. As stated in the LED Strategy, the
establishment of community food gardens is a sustainable development initiative that
enhances self‐reliance. Analysis of provincial data showed that 37 food security gardens
were funded with 340 beneficiaries from 2004 to 2009.
c) Social Research: Livelihood analyses of communities are critical in understanding the
vulnerability index of beneficiaries, the range of services and the spatial spread of
interventions.
d) Material Assistance: The importance of Drop‐in‐centres in providing food, clothes,
emergency resources etc is another manner to alleviate poverty. A drop‐in‐centres is a
physical building structure that provides a range of community services.
e) Socio‐Economic Initiatives: Funds provided by the Small Enterprise Development Agency,
Industrial Development Corporation and Khula could the local LED strategies on municipal
level in providing poverty relief programs.
f) War on Poverty Campaign: Adopted by Cabinet in 2007, it is an instrument of
coordination, alignment, support and supervision of anti‐poverty initiatives in order to
make as much possible impact to households and communities living in poverty in the
short term, to reach 3 million households by 2014, and to eradicate poverty in the long
term. It is implemented in conjunction with other government programs to ensure a
coordinated and integrated approach that secures a greater impact towards alleviating
poverty in communities. As a pilot project, the Northern Cape government adopted the
‘Building Healthy Families Project’ and it entails identifying the 500 poorest families in the
5 districts of the province. A comprehensive ‘anti‐poverty strategy’ has been designed to
integrate and improve the current efforts to deal with the unacceptable levels of poverty in
society. As part of the implementation of the Anti‐Poverty Strategy, government has
developed a single central database of affected households to ensure that interventions
are systematic; that individuals with the potential to lift their families out of poverty are
identified and accordingly supported; and to ensure that there is a follow up on each
household so that practical positive results come out of each interaction.
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Dennis Moss Partnership