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Poverty is a concept that is unusually
difficult to describe, and can be defined at different levels (from
national poverty through to individual and household poverty). In
the Eastern Cape, the root causes of poverty are linked to the
apartheid era and its attendant policies and practices. Even today,
rural and urban areas in the Eastern Cape still show the effects of
apartheid planning. Rural areas are characterised by a distinct lack
of services and infrastructure, and are predominantly poor while
urban areas are well serviced, have good infrastructure and are
relatively more wealthy.
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| Quality of life |
The quality of life experienced by
individuals living within an area is determined by a wide
variety of factors. In turn, each individual will have their own
view on what makes their quality of life good or bad. For the
purposes of describing poverty in the Eastern Cape, four
indicators that address some aspects of quality of life have
been selected. They are:
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| Population growth |
The rate of population growth is a key
indicator for macro-level planning. It affects the supply
of infrastructure such as communication, transport, and
services such as education and health. Population growth will also
influence and be influenced by the poverty in a region. It is
therefore vitally important that we understand population growth,
and any factors causing change in population growth in the Eastern
Cape. This issue is addressed quite simply
through the indicator:
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| Management |
Unless the issue of poverty is adequately
managed and addressed, it is unlikely that the Eastern Cape will
fully recover from the legacy of apartheid. Although it is widely
recognised that money is not necessarily the cause of poverty, the
provision of government funds can go some way towards addressing or
alleviating poverty and its associated impacts. This
is considered through the following indicator:
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