Many sources have highlighted the direct link between / impact of poverty on sustainable development. Poverty alleviation in turn is directly related to education, health status, the empowerment of women, employment and appropriate development policies. If these issues are not addressed the earth will eventually no longer be able to sustain a satisfactory quality of life. Such a decline in the natural environment will in addition result in the diminished ability for it to supply the needs of the future generations (Fuggle & Rabie, 1992).

The concept of poverty relates to those deprived of basic needs namely water, food, shelter, basic health services and clean air. It must also be noted that for people who cannot afford to pay for their basic needs it becomes very difficult to expect them to comply with environmental standards and to prioritise environmental concerns above other needs (Holmberg, 1991).  Poverty can also be defined as the denial of opportunities most basic to human development - i.e. to lead a long, healthy and creative life and to enjoy a decent standard of living. Therefore, in addressing poverty, the problems must be targeted from all angles, and not just from income alone.

It is significant to note that "South Africa is classified as an upper middle income country by the World Bank, yet a vast proportion of its population are living below the poverty line, and display a level of human development more often associated with low income countries" (HSRC, 1995).

"Defining a ‘poverty line’, which identifies the levels of income or expenditure below which a person is considered to be poor, is a common approach for assessing the extent of poverty in a country", (World Bank, RDP Report, 1995).

The poverty line can be based on ‘absolute’ and ‘relative’ poverty definitions. Greater Johannesburg’s poverty profile is based on ‘relative’ measurements because it is always done in comparison with other provinces of South Africa and other international regions. 

The majority of the poor in Greater Johannesburg and in the rest of South Africa are Africans. Their percentage share of poverty is the highest, followed by that of Coloureds, while Indians and whites make up a negligible share of the total number of poor. The dependency ratio is more than twice as high among the poor than the more affluent, and poverty rates are higher in female headed households than they are in male headed households.

An analysis shows that the majority of the poor live in non-urban / rural areas, which have much higher poverty rates than urban and metropolitan areas. In Gauteng the percentage of people living below the poverty line is 28% for urban areas and 58% for rural areas. This however, does not mean that people in urban areas are free from poverty. Many of the people in the townships of Johannesburg are still living below the poverty line. Gauteng has the lowest (19%) poverty rates (percentage population of the province who are poor, households earning less than R840 per month), and the lowest poverty share (6%), compared with other provinces, (World Bank, 1995).

In Gauteng 15,4% of the households, and 21,1% of individuals live in poverty. The fact that poverty is related to educational level, is illustrated by the fact the highest percentage of people living in poverty is found among those with little or no education, and the lowest is found among people with secondary and tertiary education.

• The government is fighting poverty through the promotion of job creation policies, health policies, education policies, and meeting basic needs.
• Education for empowerment, social mobilization, and capacity building is also an important strategy in poverty eradication.

At the local level, Greater Johannesburg is a member of the World Alliance of Cities against Poverty, whose objective is to curb the causes of poverty through local initiatives.

An outline of the driving forces and other factors related to poverty within Greater Johannesburg gives an indication of the magnitude of the problem. A demographic perspective and demographic indicators is useful in understanding the status quo in Greater Johannesburg with regard to poverty.