In the State of the Nation Address (2014), it was stated that South Africa still faces triple challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment, and that dealing with these challenges have become a central focus of all democratic administrations.

The National Development Plan affirms that South Africa has the potential and capacity to eliminate poverty and reduce inequality. This, however, requires a new approach, moving away from a passive citizenry of receiving services from the State to one that systematically includes the socially and economically excluded, where people are active champions of their own development, and where Government can work effectively to develop people’s capabilities to lead the lives they desire.<