If South Africa is to take its place in the family of nations and contribute on a global scale to the elimination of poverty, as well as address the social and economic needs of its own citizens then it quite simply must address the problem of illiteracy in this country. One of the most important outreaches that can be rolled out is adult basic education. By putting in place the correct infrastructure and allowing people access to funding so that they can take part in ABET programs the government and private business will be directly contributing to rectifying the wrongs of the past, where a large percentage of the South African population was denied a quality education.