South Africans’ poverty as abused political currency

South Africa's impoverished citizens are no longer able to be held captive by political theatrics, fiery speeches, and election campaigns that are filled with promises, yet lack concrete strategies and tested policies to alleviate poverty. Politicians must cease using political promises as a means to garner votes, while simultaneously failing to take action in their capacity to end poverty.

Our constitution can no longer be a platform for political mandates that aim to enhance the lives of the impoverished while simultaneously prioritizing the wealth of the affluent, thus establishing South Africa as the epitome of economic inequality. The notion of improving the lives of the poor is merely a consequence, not a mission, in our political discourse.

The inquiry is not if South Africa requires investment and economic growth; it does. The question is why we persist in the assumption that the rewards of growth will inevitably reach the poor, while the economy continues to concentrate wealth and exclude millions from active participation. It is as if the Reaganomics mentality persists, treating poverty as a byproduct of economic expansion.

Despite the poverty and suffering of the majority of their constituents year after year, political leaders still believe that shifting the State away from a robust commitment to social provision and economic redistribution, and towards the protection and expansion of market-based economic activity, is the optimal way to enhance the lives of the impoverished.

However, the evidence before them reveals a stark reality: ghettos upon ghettos, while wealth accumulates for those who manipulate market competition, possess private ownership, and benefit from substantial capital accumulation, all while the State's role as an economic planner, regulator, and redistributor has been curtailed. There is no shift in South Africa's poverty trajectory.

We have two distinct economies: a survivalist economy ensnared in exploitative conditions and entangled in illicit economic activities, often governed by violence and exploitation, and an elite economy where luxury and comfort reign. Candidates seeking power during the upcoming election cycle lack economic theories capable of altering South Africa's ongoing poverty trajectory.

We are, for the foreseeable future, trapped in the current poverty cycles because the nebulous "improving the lives of the poor" mantra remains the primary theory. If we continue to believe that a father of four earning a minimum wage of R1,209.20 per week, with 30% allocated to transportation and leaving him with R846.44 for essential necessities like electricity and food, is earning a wage that can improve their lives, we become complicit in the decay of our democratic integrity.

The exorbitant costs of extortion, protection fees, and debt owed to lenders further exacerbate poverty, making the wage a perpetuation of poverty. Politicians and economists fail to comprehend that too little money can lead to an even more destructive form of poverty. During the recent National Media Group-hosted election debate of 2026, featuring eleven party representatives discussing various issues, including housing, crime, and land, Vanessa Le Roux from Parents for Equal Education South Africa expressed her lack of trust in politicians, stating, "I will never trust you with my vote, because everything in our community starts with the child… you are out of a plan."

It is disheartening to witness numerous minimum wage jobs failing to break the cycles of poverty, children continuing to drop out of school, political leaders lacking knowledge on how to rectify South Africa's issues, and opportunities favoring the wealthy while the other 80% struggle to survive on a mere R30.23 per hour. The absence of a poverty alleviation plan is no longer optional; it should be a mission.

Relying on power without informed convictions and policies to address the poverty crisis will lead our emerging politicians to adopt outdated practices instead of devising innovative solutions to our poverty crisis. It is clear that if South Africa continues to favor the powerful and penalize the poor, we will face consequences we will come to regret.

The era of Corporate Social Investment programs as the cornerstone of poverty reduction in South Africa is rapidly approaching its demise. CSI is at best an appeasement program; it is not a sustainable empowerment plan to eradicate poverty. And appeasement never works. Politicians must demonstrate competence for the task at hand.

We must know: Can they create sustainable, scalable opportunities that elevate entire communities out of poverty?