The ANC transformation committee chair Zweli Mkhize says they will deal with high cost of living hurting South Africans. Image: SABC News
Tackling high cost of living is our most pressing issue, says Mkhize
The ANC’s Dr Zweli Mkhize says the governing party remains focused on eliminating poverty, unemployment, and inequality in society.
The ANC transformation committee chair Zweli Mkhize says they will deal with high cost of living hurting South Africans. Image: SABC News
The ANC’s transformation committee chair, Dr Zweli Mkhize, says the governing party will deal with the rising cost of living, hurting many South African households who have to cope with ongoing blackouts.
Mkhize told journalists during a media briefing on the party’s manifesto at Luthuli House that the high cost of living was the most pressing bread-and-butter issue that affects millions of people living in informal settlements, townships, affluent suburbs as well as peri-urban and rural areas.
‘WE SHALL ADDRESS THE COST OF FOOD AND HOUSING’
“We shall address the cost of living to render everyday life more affordable for everyone, including workers, the working-class poor, unemployed individuals, women-led households, and the middle class by addressing the costs of essentials such as food, housing, healthcare, energy, transport, and wages,” he said.
The Mail & Guardian reported that the former health minister said the ANC remained focused on eliminating poverty, unemployment, and inequality in society, particularly for people living in poverty and women-headed households.
THOSE WHO BENEFITED FROM SOCIAL WAGES ARE THE TINTSWALO’S – MKHIZE
Mkhize said several measures would be introduced, such as lifting the social wage of every South African, to reduce the poverty rate, which has gone down from 71.1% in 1993 to under 56% in 2020, according to Mkhize.
He said those millions of people who benefited from the social wage and government programmes were the ‘Tintswalos’ that the president spoke of during the State of the Nation address [Sona].
“This priority signifies our unwavering commitment to elevating the most vulnerable segments of our society, addressing economic hardships, and paving the way for a more sustainable, equitable, and inclusive future for all,” said Mkhize.
ANC PRIORITIES FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS: JOBS, HEALTH AND COST OF LIVING
ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa said last week during the party’s manifesto launch that the party had come up with six priority plans for the next five years and beyond to deal with poverty.
These include a jobs plan, re-industrialisation, reducing the cost of living, access to education, access to health and improving energy, rail and logistics.
