103     Accelerated delivery of housing opportunities; Access to basic services; More efficient land use; and An improved property market79. It has also emerged from consultations and research that South Africa really battles with the task to establish the right “ethos of service delivery”80. Research suggests that when citizens are informed about the time, level and quality of public services they will receive, they are unlikely to have unrealistic expectations and unnecessary disappointments81. 3.4.6 Poverty and Inequality The eradication of poverty is a major problem in post-apartheid South Africa and underlines a number of other major challenges. The challenge is to build on the foundations already in place so as to reduce and eventually eradicate poverty completely. For its part, government recognizes that poverty and inequality remain high, and has set as one of its priorities to eradicate poverty and inequality. There have been concerted efforts to also incorporate UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in government’s work through various avenues of the national programme implementation, such as the Cluster System and individual departments and agencies. Under the current administration, MDGs are being pursued through the Medium-Term Strategic Framework (MTEF: 2009- 2014) and Government Plan of Action, translating the five priorities outlined in the ANC Manifesto82 and the 12 Outcomes of Government. The Government’s MTEF identifies development challenges facing South Africa and outlines the medium-term strategy for improving living conditions of all South Africans. MTSF guides planning and resource allocation across all spheres of government. It identifies the following five development objectives:  Halving poverty and unemployment by 2014;  Ensuring a more equitable distribution of the benefits of economic growth and reducing inequality;  Improving the nation’s health profile and skills base and ensuring universal access to basic services;  Building a nation that is free of all forms of racism, sexism, tribalism and xenophobia; and  Improving the safety of citizens by reducing incidents of crime and corruption. The strategic priorities for the current MTSF are:   Speeding up growth and transforming the economy to create decent work and sustainable livelihoods; Massively building economic and social infrastructure; 79 Republic of South Africa (2010):‘Millennium Development Goals. Country Report to the UNDP, The presidency, Pretoria. K. Kondlo & H. Maserumule (2010): Zuma Administration: Critical Challenges, HSRC Press, Cape Town. 81 L. Tefo (2010): ‘Addressing the Challenges of Service Delivery: A Participatory Grassroots Development Approach’ unpublished article, HSRC, Pretoria. 82 These priorities are 1) creation of decent work and sustainable livelihoods; 2) education; 3) health; 4) rural development, food security and land reform; and 5) the fight against crime and corruption. 80 103