2 April 2008

MOBILISING civil society towards social cohesion and national unity against poverty is needed in order for South Africa to significantly reduce the levels poverty.

This is according to Executive Mayor of Tshwane, Gwen Ramokgopa during her keynote address at the Poverty Reduction and Community Development Conference on Tuesday 1 April.

"Poverty affects communities, it affects households and in order for government to win the fight, communities need to be involved," she said, adding that without integration with community based structures, government's efforts will not reach the majority.

The mayor said part of the aim of the conference was to reflect and communicate on how best government and general communities can integrate efforts and contributions to maximise poverty alleviation.

Attended by other government departments, development practitioners, researchers and academics, civil society and the private sector, communities, faith-based organisations and youth structures, the conference is discussing strategies for the alleviation of poverty in the city.

The conference will also come up with interventions to increase the number of households that exit the indigent register of the city.

Furthermore it will see a nomination of a task team made up of experts to develop an implementation plan of the strategy for the city in the fight against poverty.

Explaining the city's efforts in the fight, the mayor said that the municipality was targeting poorest families and marginalised communities with a basket of services and sundry infrastructure while partnering with non-governmental service-providers has been established.

The conference, the mayor said, is the city's response to the call to intensify the war against by implementing the exit strategy at households and community level as announced by President Thabo Mbeki during the State of the Nation address in February.

Mbeki said the eradication of poverty was government's highest priority towards building a better life for all.

"In the spirit of Business Unusual, government intends this year to intensify the campaign to identify specific households and individuals in dire need and to put in place interventions that will help, in the intervening period, to alleviate their plight," Mbeki said.

Source: BuaNews.gov.za