Child poverty costs SA up to R1.3 trillion a year in potential – Nelson Mandela Foundation

By Lebone Rodah Mosima

The Nelson Mandela Children’s Foundation said South Africa is paying a steep economic price for child poverty, warning at its 30th anniversary gala dinner that the country loses as much as R1.3 trillion a year in unfulfilled child potential.

Speaking in Bryanston, the foundation’s chief executive, Linda Ncube-Nkomo, said a 2024 report found that South Africa spends between R660 billion and R700 billion a year — about 9.8% of gross domestic product — on tackling child poverty, but without achieving meaningful change.

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“If we were to invest the same amount of money differently, ensuring that it reaches the vulnerable children that it should and they were to become economically active in one way or another, they could contribute R1.3 trillion to the economy annually,” Ncube-Nkomo said.

“The hidden cost of unfulfilled child potential is