Ramaphosa: Poverty wears a black face
President Cyril Ramaphosa says the government is committed to developing strategies to deal with surging unemployment and poverty levels.
During the first Economic Advisory Council sitting on Wednesday, Ramaphosa - who chairs the council- addressed the dire state of the country’s economy and the strategies that needed to be put in place.
“Inherited from our very difficult and very sad past, on measures such as our high under five mortality rate, life expectancy and school completion rate, we lag behind our peers,” said Ramaphosa.
“Poverty is rife, with nearly half of the population considered chronically poor at the upper-bound national poverty line.”
READ: Ramaphosa: 'South Africa's future lies in Africa'
Ramaphosa vowed that strategies like the implementation of an investment advisory council, youth development plans and microeconomic units will be discussed by the Economic Advisory Council.