Baseline Information on Poverty in the City of Tshwane
by ERASMUS, J.C. & WEIR-SMITH, , 2003Research report, Employment and Economic Policy Research, Human Sciences Research Council, Pretoria.
Welfare and safety nets are an integral part of the government’s response to poverty and inequality. The Division: Integrated Community Development in the Tshwane Metropolitan Council aims to ensure that the needs of women, children, youth, people with disabilities and older person are catered for in an integrated manner. The division commissioned the Human Sciences Research Council to compile a profile of poverty in the different wards of Tshwane. Data from the 1996 census was used as a basis for constructing comprehensive social indicator data that could assist in policy formulation and serve as a guideline for the allocation of poverty relief funding. (At the time of writing this report, it was the only data available.) The Human Sciences Research Council used two internationally recognised indicators of poverty to identify areas that are poverty-stricken and require intervention. The poverty gap shows the depth of poverty in an area, while the Gini coefficient (only available at municipal level) shows the extent of income inequality. These are complemented by other indicators, such as the level of unemployment and the numbers of children, older persons, female-headed households and youth, to generate a broader perspective on poverty problems in the different wards of Tshwane.
Share