THE United Democratic Movement says it it hopes Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe's promise to fight poverty is not another "round of government rhetoric".
THE United Democratic Movement says it it hopes Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe's promise to fight poverty is not another "round of government rhetoric".
"We hope the government has finally realised the crucial role played by civil society prior to 1994 and the tangible difference they can make in the lives of South Africans," the party said yesterday.
The UDM was reacting to Motlanthe's speech at a conference on refining the country's anti-poverty strategy in Johannesburg on Wednesday, where he said the poor must expect and demand only the best from government.
"We must not provide the lowest, the barest minimum and say it is acceptable because this is a poor community," Motlanthe said at the time.
The UDM said it was concerned there was no clear mechanism of implementing the strategy.
It called on government to refine the strategy, incorporating civil society's inputs to come up with a clear mechanism on implementation, and how civil society would access the services meant to assist them. - Sapa