The aim of this ongoing project is to derive an understanding of what constitutes a broadly acceptable living level that should be used to reflect a basic living level. Central to this ambitious target is an awareness of the necessity of moving away from the minimalist ‘poverty lines’ that have been used in the design and evaluation of anti-poverty programmes. The use of such very basic levels to characterise the state of poverty is dangerous in an upper middle- income country such as South Africa which is already characterized by one of the highest levels of income inequality globally. This project is thus inherently rights-based, rather than being a technocratic exercise. It is about trying to understand by asking ordinary people what such a decent living level should be for all in a post- Apartheid democracy.

A composite report of the proceedings of the 2019 Colloquium and the 2019 Research and Publications on expanding a Decent Standard of Living in South Africa.

This submission is based on the report submitted by SPI to the United Nation’s Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (UN CESCR) on the implementation of UN CESCR’s recommendation to South Africa on the necessity of adopting a composite index on the cost of living. This submission reflects the agreed position of SPI and CHR on the development of a composite index on the cost of an adequate standard of living by South Africa.

The UN CESCR Committee published its recommendations in November 2018 on South Africa’s initial report on its implementation of provisions outlined in the ICESCR and made various recommendations. This section of the report focuses on recommendation 47(a).

Many communities across South Africa are characterised by dire socio-economic conditions such as poor housing, inability to access health care, and the lack of amenities like water and electricity. Given the backdrop of very high poverty and inequality in a society that can essentially be typified as upper middle-class, SPII has produced an analysis of the 2019 General Household Survey.

These are the following objectives of this analysis :

• To assess the trends of key development indicators to gain a clear trajectory of
  progress and growth in South Africa.
• To provide a social justice perspective which puts people at the centre of development
  and ensures the progressive realisation of their socio-economic entitlements.
• To present a pre-COVID-19 baseline analysis. Thus highlighting how the impact of the
  pandemic on worsening inequality and public service delivery should drive the
  government to be more serious about aligning the post-Covid-19 recovery to the
  visions of global and national blueprints for inclusive development.

An analysis of the content, policy effort, resource allocation and enjoyment of the constitutional right to a basic education.