Mid Term Report - Gauteng Online

3.2 Fighting poverty and building safe,secure and sustainable communitiesFighting poverty in a comprehensive mannerand improving the quality of life of the poorhas been a top priority underpinning Gauteng’seconomic and social strategies.Poverty resulted from underdevelopment,unemployment and a lack of access to economicopportunities. This was made worse by poor health,low skills levels and apartheid settlement patternswhich marginalized the poorest and kept them farfrom economic opportunities and services.While Gauteng is regarded as the wealthiest provinceattracting job seekers from across the country, itcontinues to confront inequality, urban poverty anddeprivation.To address these challenges and contribute to thenational goal of halving poverty by 2014, the fiveyearstrategic programme aimed to attack povertyon four fronts through:•••Growing the economy and creating jobsBuilding secure and prosperous communitieswith good schools, clinics, sports fields andother social facilities, where people can live ina healthy and safe environment with access toaffordable and efficient transportEnsuring a strong social safety net for thepoorest and most vulnerable of our people• Ensuring that our people are healthy andskilled.The provincial government further made a firmcommitment to put the poor at the centre of servicedelivery and ensure that all our policies andprogrammes prioritise the poor.Key aspects of poverty which we seek to addressinclude:• Income poverty – to be addressed through jobcreation and measures such as the provision ofsocial grants, indigent policies and short-termemployment creation through the expandedpublic works programme• Asset poverty – which relates to the challengesassociated with land and housing ownership,the transfer of title deeds and agriculturaldevelopment strategies• Infrastructure poverty – addressed throughthe expansion of social and economicinfrastructure, including in communities andthrough urban renewal programmes• Services poverty – to be addressed through aservices revolution within the public and privatesectors• Knowledge poverty – to be addressed throughMidterm Report - 2004/06 • 21