DA sends copy of poverty plan to Deputy Minister

By Sasha Forbes
31 October 2008

Yesterday the Democratic Alliance sent a copy of its recently released policy on eradicating poverty to Deputy President Baleka Mbete, because they believe that many of their proposals could strengthen the Presidency’s own new poverty plan. Many of the Presidency’s proposals have yet to be properly fleshed out and the DA hopes that the suggestions they provides in their document will assist with this process.

Spokesperson for the DA Lindiwe Mazibuko says they have done this because they believe that many of their proposals could strengthen the Presidency’s own poverty plan. “Most importantly the ANC recognises the fact that eradicating poverty must just be a top down process but it must rather involve the collective efforts of all South Africans.”

The DA has long recognised that a system based on hand-outs only creates more dependency and less individual initiative. Mazibuko says “for this reason all our proposals require active rather than passive involvement by beneficiaries. Guardians of children who receive child support grants, for example, must show that the child is benefiting from the grant, by going to school and receiving regular health check-ups.”