Catalysing social upliftment in line with broader goals

The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide direction and clarity concerning the developmental goals that must be achieved to support sustainable life on earth. The SDGs succeed in providing an integration of the three dimensions of sustainable development, namely economic, social and environmental. They therefore acknowledge that action in one area will affect outcomes in others.

All 17 SDGs are pertinent to the South African context, as reflected in our high levels of poverty, income and gender inequality, differential access to high-quality education and healthcare, poor economic growth rates and low levels of job creation.

South Africa’s achievement of the SDGs is ultimately framed and directed by our Constitution. Based on an analysis of SDG interlinkages, the following five SDG targets were identified as those with the most enabling connections for South Africa.

Goal	Indicator	Description
	2.1	By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round.
	5.1	End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere.
	6.6	By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes.
	7.3	By 2030, double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency.
	8.1	Sustain per capita economic growth in accordance with national circumstances and, in particular, at least 7% gross domestic product growth per annum in the least developed countries.

The National Development Plan (NDP) and the SDGs

Within our unique South African context, development efforts are driven by the NDP, which aims to ensure that all South Africans obtain a decent standard of living through the elimination of poverty and by addressing high levels of inequality. It defines a desired destination and identifies the role different sectors of society need to play in reaching that goal.

It became evident from South Africa’s 2019 country report to the United Nations that the NDP has a 74% convergence with the SDGs, especially with respect to the extent that the NDP prioritises job creation, the elimination of poverty, the reduction of inequality and growing an inclusive economy by 2030.

The NLC’s role in supporting the broader ambitions of the SDGs and the NDP

In line with its mandate, vision and mission, the NLC’s formulation of programme activities and targets is aligned to the political, social and economic realities of South Africa. In particular, the NLC’s role and functions as outlined in the Amended Lotteries Act places an obligation on the organisation to support, both directly and indirectly, the electoral mandate of government. From a strategic perspective, the sight of government priorities provides a significant opportunity for the NLC within the disciplinary context of social development and social upliftment.

The NLC, through its mandate, has also played a role to bring about growth by ensuring that funds are distributed to qualifying beneficiaries. Sectors funded by the NLC contribute to job creation, rural development, infrastructure development, promoting wellness and social cohesion. This aligns to the objectives of the NDP as well as the government’s nine-point plan to eliminate poverty and reduce inequality by 2030 while stimulating economic growth.

In this regard, over R30 billion has been distributed to good causes since the NLC’s inception. However, the reliance on a single source of funds does not make it possible to address the needs of the entire non-profit organisations (NPO) sector in South Africa.

This is a matter best addressed through our funding for impact model discussed in detail throughout this report.