MZANSI is trapped in poverty.
This is according to the Multi-Party Charter for SA (MPC).
The MPC presented its plan of social relief for households living in poverty outside the Sassa offices in Benoni, Ekurhuleni on Wednesday, 24 April.
In a statement read by Inkatha Freedom Party President (IFP) president Velenkosini Hlabisa, more than 30 million South Africans live below the poverty line.
“South Africa is struggling with persistent poverty, inequality and unemployment. Make no mistake, these have been getting worse each year. Over 30 million South Africans endure the harsh daily reality of grinding poverty,” he said.
Hlabisa said 55% of the population lives below poverty line, surviving on R60 per day.
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He attributed this dire situation to the country's world-leading unemployment rate and criticised the ANC government for its failure to provide quality education, healthcare, and basic services due to inadequate investment in infrastructure and incapacity to foster a conducive environment for investment and job creation.
Hlabisa said they chose to present their plan outside the Sassa building because they wanted to highlight the plight of millions of Mzansi people who are subjected to a dysfunctional welfare system that is riddled with corruption.
“There's an urgent need to lift as many of these households as possible out of poverty and into the dignity of self-reliance and financial security that comes from having a job,” he said.
Hlabisa said MPC will reduce a number of people relying on social grants by creating job opportunities.
The coalition comprises the DA, ActionSA, Freedom Front Plus, ACDP, UCDP, UIM, EPP, SNP, and ISANCO, advocating for increased child grants, extending benefits to pregnant mothers for child nutrition, and implementing measures to decrease teenage and unwanted pregnancies.
