Speak out on poverty Hearings

In July and August National Poverty Hearings will be held in the 9 provinces of South African, to provide a platform for all South Africans affected by poverty to share their stories, and call for justice.  All South Africans living in poverty are invited and welcome to participate in this process.

The National Poverty Hearings are a follow up from poverty hearings held 10 years ago in 1998, when the SA National NGO Coalition (SANGOCO) facilitated a process of nation wide hearings that provided a platform for over 10 000 people living in poverty to speak out about their experiences of poverty.  The hearings were conducted in partnership with the Human Rights and Gender Commissions, the UNDP, COSATU and the SACC.  The hearings were presided over by key civil society leaders, with each hearing drawing on a different collection of leaders. 

The Issues covered in the hearings included access to land and rural development, right to sufficient food and water, right of access to adequate housing, rights of access to health care services, right to social security, right to education, labour rights, macro-economic policy and social economic rights, among others.

It has been ten years since the original hearings were held, and the question is how much has changed? Did the experiences and concerns of the poor find their way to the ears of policy makers or is life beset by the same issues and challenges? 

The recent xenophobic attacks, the ever increasing cost of living, and the unabated unemployment suggest that the amount of people living in poverty is increasing, and the fight for resources is deepening. This has prompted the various concerned partner organizations  to initiate a follow up to the 1998 poverty hearings called the 10th Anniversary Poverty Hearings. 

We feel that it is important for us to assess from the poor themselves the actions that have been taken to address their plight, actions that they have taken to improve their lives and their awareness of economic and social rights as enshrined in the Constitution. The hearings will therefore provide a rich opportunity to hear people speak for themselves and

present solutions to the challenges they face. The idea is to use people’s own voices to carry the issues to the corridors of power. At the end of the day we wish to see a prioritization of poor people’s issues and a move from talk to action as far as policy formulation and implementation are concerned.

For this reason, all relevant national, provincial and local government departments have been invited to come to the hearings, so that they have an opportunity to listen to the people of South Africa, as they speak about poverty.  Moreover, members of parliament have also been invited.

The hearings will be held in all nine provinces of South Africa in July and August.  Submissions from individuals and organizations affected by poverty and xenophobia in South Africa are being received through the following outlets:-
Email:  speakout@africanmonitor.org
Fax: 021 – 712 1082
Post:  PostNet Suite 63, Private Bag X12, Tokai, 7966, Cape Town, SA

For general information, please contact Bridget Katundu-Matinga:  bridget@africanmonitor.org