For example, the seriously disrupting crime and violence situation in the country can be linked directly to growing unemployment. In its turn, the crime and violence makes economic recovery more difficult. The country is therefore trapped in a vicious circle of growing unemployment, more crime and violence, lower economic growth, and, therefore, more unemployment.
The Government’s GEAR programme supports its earlier Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP), providing for the social upliftment of the South African community, particularly of the disadvantaged groups of the past. The RDP focused the attention on the demand side of the economy, that is on the huge and legitimate needs of millions of South Africans that still live in poverty.