SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT COMMEMORATES INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE ERADICATION OF POVERTY

• On 17 October, the world observes the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, a day dedicated to raising awareness and mobilising action against poverty in all its forms.
• In South Africa, this year’s commemoration takes place amid a cost-of-living crisis and significant inequality.
• The Department of Social Development is central to these efforts, with Deputy Minister Ganief Hendricks leading outreach initiatives aimed at addressing child poverty and malnutrition in rural areas, while also highlighting local cooperatives that contribute to employment and economic stability.

Every year on 17 October, the world commemorates the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, also known as End Poverty Day. This observance raises awareness about the ongoing fight against poverty and mobilises collective action to eliminate it in all its forms. This year’s commemoration occurs as South Africa grapples with a cost-of-living crisis and a widening gap of inequality.

Eradicating poverty lies at the core of the Department of Social Development’s mandate. To mark this day, Deputy Minister of Social Development, Mr Ganief Hendricks, will conduct the Integrated Community Registration Outreach Programme (ICROP) at Cofimvaba in the Intsika Yethu Local Municipality. This largely rural municipality is characterised by underdevelopment and high levels of poverty. The outreach programme aims to promote access to services such as birth registration and social grant applications, addressing critical issues of child poverty and malnutrition in the area.

As part of the outreach programme, Deputy Minister Hendricks will distribute school uniforms to learners at Intlangano and Sentile. This initiative aims to ensure that children from poor households remain in school, helping to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty.

In the North-West Province, MEC of Social Development, Ms Basetsana Sussana Dantjie, will lead the commemoration by handing over a cheque to a cooperative supported by the National Development Agency (NDA) at Thota Ya Tau Village in the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality. The Thota Ya Tau Fish Harvest Primary Cooperative was established to create employment opportunities through fishing and fishery operations. The NDA has recently approved grant funding of R321,225.58, which will assist the cooperative in purchasing a fishing boat, a mobile cold-room trailer, and a generator. This support will enable the cooperative to increase production, expand operations, and provide sustainable employment for ten of its members.

These outreach programmes are part of the DSD Month initiative, through which the Department of Social Development and its entities aim to promote access to services that alleviate poverty and hunger among the most vulnerable. Members of the media are invited to attend and cover the commemoration of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, which will take place on Thursday, 17 October 2024, at 10:00 at the Chris Hani Development Centre in Sabalele village, Cofimvaba.