South Africa, the continent’s economic powerhouse, will next month launch a nationwide campaign against poverty, President Thabo Mbeki said on Sunday.
“The war on poverty campaign will be launched in all the [nine] provinces during August. The most deprived wards and households have been identified and will be visited … to identify needs,” he said at a media briefing on the outcome of a Cabinet meeting last week.
“A war-room on poverty has also been established,” and the campaign is coordinated by the office of the vice-president, he said.
More than four million South Africans live below the poverty line, according to official figures.
The government has also set a target to reduce the country’s crime rate by between 7% and 10% for the remainder of the tenure of this administration.
The targeted priority crimes are murder, rape, violent assault and robbery, he said.
South Africa has one of the world’s highest crime rates, with about 50 people murdered a day.
A review of the criminal justice system and tackling of crimes among children are also under way, he added.
There are 3 478 children in detention and 820 of them have been sentenced and are being kept in correctional facilities, he said.
Finally, Mbeki, who leaves office next year after serving two terms, said that all the venues for hosting the 2009 Confederations Cup and the 2010 Soccer World Cup will be ready to meet the Fifa deadline.
“We are happy about the progress being made in hosting the World Cup. We will meet the commitment we made to Fifa on hosting the Confederations Cup and the World Cup,” he said. – AFP