Die politiek van armoede : 'n vergelyking van die 1932 en 1989 Carnegie-verslae

M.A.The purpose of this study is to compare the 1932 and 1989 Carnegie reports which dealt respectively with the issues of white and black poverty in South Africa. In 1932 the Carnegie report on white poverty was published which dealt with the causes, dimensions and possible solutions of poverty among the white (Afiikaner) community. In 1989 a similar report was published, the emphasis however being placed on the causes, dimensions and possible solutions of black poverty. The purpose of this study is to compare these two reports in their handling of the different poverty issues with specific emphasis on the role of politics in the causes and possible solutions of poverty. Research produced interesting points of agreement and disagreement. It was found that the magnitude of black poverty far exceeds that of white poverty 50% of the black population lives in poverty while only 17.5% of whites lived in poverty during the 1930's. The two Carnegie reports used the same indicators of poverty: the shortage of housing, education, health and unemployment. The historical causes of both black and white poverty can be traced to the same roots, for example the Anglo-Boer War and the Great Depression of the 1930's. However, the main causes of white poverty according to the Carnegie report were the inability of the population to adapt to changing economic conditions, farming problems, inadequate education and isolating circumstances. These are mainly socio-economic issues. In contrast, black poverty is largely caused by political factors, i.e. the policy of apartheid that discriminated against blacks in every sphere of life. White poverty was solved by a combination of three factors. The first was a process of ethnic mobilisation launched by Afrikaner leaders and designed to address "psychological" poverty. The second was economic growth as a result of the government's industrial policy and favourable external economic conditions. The third and most important was a deliberate policy of the government aimed at combating poverty. This included generous portions of the budget allocated to poor whites, comprehensive job creation programmes, legislation designed to favour white workers as opposed to black workers and the provision of housing, health services and education to the poor whites. According to the 1989 Carnegie report, black poverty is "a profoundly political issue". Therefore it cannot be solved until a fundamental redistribution of political power has taken place. This study evaluated the complex anti-poverty strategy proposed by the Carnegie report which covers a wide range of topics (for example education, health, rural development and housing) over the short and the long term, Although the Carnegie reports did not directly contribute to the solution of white or black poverty, it did however, lead to a greater public awareness of the poverty problem Both the (future) government and the private sector are to contribute to the solution of black poverty. In the study attention was also paid to issues not addressed by the Carnegie report, such as the redistribution of land, the role of the small business sector and population growth. It is concluded that the solution of black poverty hinges on addressing their "psychological" poverty, collective action to stimulate economic growth and effective government intervention in the economy