Austerity is South African policies that only benefits few residents and exclude the majority of residents who are unemployed and living in poor conditions. In this article we are going to focus on this policy that South African government has implemented called Austerity. (Economic Policy aimed at reducing the government’s spending)
To explain further, we can say austerity is the difficult economy conditions whereby the government reduces the public spending and it’s services on important departments while they also increase the tax. Recently South Africa is facing problems like, high unemployment rate, shortage in electricity, inequality and gender based violence. Austerity is going to worsen these problems as we have also witnessed the increase on oils and fuels every month.

Furthermore, austerity is going to affect emerging farmers in our townships and rural areas. It will also affect poor families because most people in our communities depend on the government services. Sadly, this policy is going to reduce services in the department of agriculture, health, education, Social Development and in our Municipalities. This policy is going to have huge influence in people being retrenched from their jobs and the government employees will not get the increase on their salaries.

It is clear that the ruling party is hesitant to change the past colonial policies and this can be seen by the economy action plans of the ruling party. Mr Sabata Morata a member of Botshabelo Unemployed Movement mentioned that it is important that the public at large is educated and informed. “We are pleading with our government to stop loaning money from the world market. They should instead provide youth and women with employment opportunities,” says Morata. People who are going to be badly affected by austerity are workers, the unemployed, the youth and women.

It is clear that with austerity the government is avoiding their constitutional responsibility to the unemployed to implement Basic Income Grant. The unemployed people of Botshabelo in the Free State Province believe that it is time that the Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwane implements the Basic Income Grant for every citizen between the ages of 18 – 59 years old.
“Stop Budget Cuts” Campaign is still up and running , every citizen is encouraged to support this campaign to fight poverty in South Africa.