President Cyril Ramaphosa says government has been focusing its efforts on addressing inequality in the country.
In his weekly newsletter, he reflects on social security being enshrined in the Bill of Rights as Human Rights Month draws to an end.
According to Ramaphosa, this right has seen the expansion of the country’s social protection system.
The President says 18 million people receive social grants from government today, an increase from just over 2.5 million recipients in 1999.
Ramaphosa adds that more than two million indigent households also receive free basic water, basic electricity and solid waste removal services.
This is part of government’s commitment to providing free basic services for the poor.
He says this expansion is aimed at addressing inequality and promoting growth in the country’s societies.
While the President acknowledges that growth that takes place in unequal societies tends to reproduce inequality, he adds that the country’s economic policy creates a balance.
The President’s full weekly newsletter is in the tweet below:
If the focus of our struggle for liberation was to end apartheid and achieve political freedom, the focus of our efforts now must be to address inequality and ensure that every South African enjoys the fruits of democracy. https://t.co/nR0DSej6zk pic.twitter.com/beFHYa2vys
— Cyril Ramaphosa (@CyrilRamaphosa) March 27, 2023
