Program Background
Despite massive government investments in education, health, infrastructure, social assistance and poverty alleviation programs, poverty continues to define the lives of many in our country. Although these programs have served to lift the living conditions of the poor, the Ten Year Review (1994-2004) has revealed that an unacceptably high number (approximately 43%) of South Africans still lives in abject poverty.
War on Poverty /Balelapa Household Profiling Program
In August 2008, government launched the national War on Poverty Campaign to reduce poverty among the country’s poorest citizens. The most deprived households identified in the poorest wards were visited periodically during the campaign by a team of professionals and community workers to identify their specific needs and to accelerate access to government services and provide safety nets.
The success of tackling poverty and social exclusion requires that every sector plays its part. “War rooms” that are inclusive of, among other things, government at all levels, business, and voluntary and community organizations have been set up to fight poverty. Local government departments will intervene in areas such as the provision of free basic services, public works and other indigent measures.
As a coordinated program on poverty, government developed the War on Poverty Campaign.
War on Poverty /Balelapa Household Profiling Program
The main aim of the program is to provide integrated government services in the most deprived wards. As a program in the Department of Social Development the War on Poverty program started in earnest in the latter part of the 2008/9 financial year. The commencement of the War on Poverty coincided with the provincial Executive Councils’ decision to roll out Balelapa Household Project as an extension to War on Poverty and that mandate entailed the profiling of poor and vulnerable households outside of the allocated 63 most deprived wards.
The completion of the profiling phase of the household profiling was followed by target setting aligned the National Development Plan [NDP] across provincial government in terms of the provision of integrated services.
High Level objective of the NDP;
q By 2030, the number of households living under the poverty line of R524 (in 2013 Rands) per person per month should fall from 39 per cent to zero.
q The level of inequality as measured by the Gini Co-efficient should fall from 0.7 in 2009 to 0.6 in 2030.
According to the Balelapa Household Profiling study over 48 252 households reported that they had no income, some lived in poor living conditions including shacks, informal settlements and mud houses etc. Henceforth, all targeting is aimed at contributing towards the attainment of the NDP focused on ensuring that services are rendered to households that have been identified as living in chronic poverty (no income households) and the targets will incrementally increase over the MTEF.
Annual Performance Plan Targets for the current financial year 2015/16
Provision of integrated basket of services to 2 222 No income Households.
Linking of 2 222 change agents to economic and development opportunities.
These targets are set up to enable provincial government to achieve the NDP target that by 2030 the number of households living in poverty (48 252 families as found through the Balelapa Household Profiling study) should be zero percent.
The above 2 222 household targets are broken up as follows and targets are proportional to the incidence of No income per district.
Frances Baard : 496
John T Gaetsewe : 503
Namakwa : 376
Pixley ka Seme : 387
ZF Mgcawu : 461
Ø It should, however, be noted that the War on Poverty/Balelapa Household Profiling Project, is two-fold and consists of:
o an integrated basket of services; as well as
o the development of change agents (please see next section)
Both of above-mentioned require the urgent and integrated delivery of services and development/employment opportunities to all identified change agents from all spheres of government.
