Abstract
The primary goal of partnerships in social development is to strategically join efforts to reduce poverty, address inequalities and social injustices through the redistribution of resources, and through social and economic development programmes. This can only be achieved when there is a true commitment from all partners involved to take up the challenges of building partnerships which could provide a negotiated framework for a partnership strategy for social development. These challenges include understanding the changing role of the state, redefining partnerships, empowerment of NGOs to be service deliverers and advocates, the creation of an enabling environment, recognition and balancing of social development partners’ strengths and weaknesses, an agreement on the social development agenda and a plan for sustainable social development. Although a partnership strategy for social development needs to be in place to provide broad guidelines, each kind and level of partnership need to be uniquely negotiated, planned, designed and maintained
Highlights
The Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP), designed and developed by the ANC to coincide with the first democratic elections in South Africa in 1994, provided the socio-economic policy framework which was to become the vehicle to change the face of development in South Africa
The RDP shifted the focus from economic development as the sole driver of development to ensuring that social and human development completed the development triangle and it gave rise to the government adopting a developmental approach to service delivery
In order to reduce poverty partnerships should be built on a strong commitment to an agreed upon social development agenda for South Africa
Summary
The Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP), designed and developed by the ANC to coincide with the first democratic elections in South Africa in 1994, provided the socio-economic policy framework which was to become the vehicle to change the face of development in South Africa. The RDP shifted the focus from economic development as the sole driver of development to ensuring that social and human development completed the development triangle and it gave rise to the government adopting a developmental approach to service delivery. This approach was further strengthened by the World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen (1995) where South Africa, in conjunction with the rest of the world, took up the challenge of social development to reduce global poverty by half in 2015. The building of partnerships for social development requires a clear understanding of what the purpose and meaning of ‘partnerships’ for social development entail, who the role players are, what roles they play within the partnership, and what the challenges are
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