To address the urgent issues of poverty and unemployment, Deputy President Paul Mashatile has announced that government has implemented a series of comprehensive strategies, aimed at uplifting vulnerable communities nationwide.

The initiatives come in response to growing concerns about the socio-economic challenges facing many citizens.

During the question and answer session in Parliament on Thursday, the Deputy President emphasised the urgent need for a collective societal effort to combat poverty, highlighting the roles of government, civil society, businesses, and private sector involvement.

“Our programmes are designed to reduce poverty and promote economic development, human capital investment, and access to basic services, as outlined in the National Development Plan (NDP),” he stated.

Key components of the strategy involve social welfare initiatives that streamline inter-departmental cooperation to enhance access to healthcare, education, and affordable housing.

He said municipalities are also stepping up, providing crucial subsidies for water and electricity to support indigent households.

President Cyril Ramaphosa recently launched the second phase of Operation Vulindlela, which aims to stimulate job creation and economic growth through structural reforms in various sectors, including digital transformation and local government performance.

According to the Deputy President, this initiative reflects government’s commitment to address entrenched spatial inequalities.

Over R200 billion is earmarked for social grants

Meanwhile, he said the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) is playing a pivotal role in this fight against poverty, with government earmarking a staggering R285 billion for social grants in the 2025/26 financial year.

This funding is expected to provide direct cash transfers to approximately 27 million eligible beneficiaries, which is vital for mitigating economic risks faced by the most vulnerable populations.

In line with these efforts, the Minister of Finance recently announced an increase in the old age grant, now set to rise to R2 310 in April 2025, with additional increments planned for later in the year.

The Department of Social Development has also partnered with FinMark Trust on a pilot project designed to connect social grant recipients with sustainable economic opportunities through employment and entrepreneurship initiatives.

“These grants are essential for mitigating economic risks for the most vulnerable, as poverty levels would be significantly worse without them,” he added.

Job creation

On job creation, the Deputy President told the Members of Parliament that several targeted programmes have already shown promising results.

He touched on the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention (PYEI), Youth Employment Service (YES) program, and the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), which are a few initiatives designed to create jobs, provide essential training, and support businesses in hiring, especially youth, women, and persons with disabilities.

Service delivery

Shifting his focus to service delivery failures, Deputy President Mashatile, who is also the Chairperson of the Water Task Team, announced ongoing efforts to address water and sanitation issues in collaboration with municipalities.

Following a National Water and Sanitation Indaba, he announced that critical focus areas have emerged, including investment enhancement, technical capacity building, and combating corruption within the sector.

“The Ministry of Water and Sanitation, on behalf of the Water Task Team, is not only doing site visits, but also intervening where there are water infrastructure-related challenges.”

He believes that this is to intervene at a source and at the last mile, so that the country can save water, and more critically, deliver quality water in the rural and urban areas of our country.

“No village and township households must not have access to quality water.”

Minister of Water and Sanitation, Pemmy Majodina presided over the reopening of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project Tunnel on Sunday, 25 May 2025, after the tunnel was closed in October 2024 for maintenance.

The reopening of this tunnel will enable the flow of water into the Vaal River Integrated System, which supplies water to five provinces in South Africa, including  Gauteng, Mpumalanga, North West, Free State and Northern Cape.

In addition, he said the Department of Water and Sanitation and the City of Cape Town have been collaborating to address ongoing water and sanitation challenges, particularly considering infrastructure overburden, environmental considerations and socio-economic disparities.

According to the Deputy President, efforts to enhance water and sanitation services include initiatives to improve communication between the City of Cape Town and residents, particularly in townships and informal settlements.

In addition, the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the City of Cape Town to establish a collaborative framework aimed at enhancing infrastructure delivery, governance and innovation in construction and facilities management.

Originally posted on SAnews.gov.za