intsika yethu local municipality - Provincial Spatial Development plan

Table 15: Poverty rates from 1995-2010Poverty rates from 1995-2010EstimateYEAR 1995 2000 2005 2010Eastern Cape 50% 58.03% 56.26% 53.48%ProvinceChris Hani 57% 64% 60.26% 57.03%DistrictMunicipalityIntsika YethuLocalMunicipality63.3% 68.8% 61.6% 56.4%It is extremely important to note that measurements and perceptions of what poverty is vary from sourceto source thus another source may see far more or far less poverty in the same area based on the normativejudgment which is driven by a certain understanding of what constitutes poverty. In addition there arealways various levels of poverty. The most severe level of poverty in South Africa is known as “indigent”,this refers to a person who lacks the most basic necessities of a decent life such as:Water;Sanitation;Energy;Refuse removal;Food and clothing; andHousing.IYLM maintains an Indigent Policy from 2009 which aims to ensure that households that cannot affordmunicipal services are given access to the most basic municipal functions. The policy elaborates upon whatexactly constitutes an indigent household in the IYLM context. Given the historical legacies ofunderdevelopment from the pre-democratic era, IYLM carries a heavy burden in terms of an indigentpopulation. Further socio-economic analysis provides more insights into the dynamics of IYLM.37