While civil rights advocacy group Black Sash has expressed support for Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu’s intentions to lobby for the extension of the R350 social relief distress (SRD) grant for another two years, it calls for permanent social assistance for the unemployed.
The temporary grant was introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic and is expected to end in March next year after an extension following calls from society organisations.
According to Zulu, cash transfer programmes such as the R350 SRD grant have been shown to have many benefits including reducing dire poverty, increasing school enrolment, and improving nutrition.
“Cash transfers are effective in addressing negative coping strategies such as poor diets or debts. The distribution of cash allowances boosts the local economy especially on market days. Cash can link with existing social protection systems or build the blocks for future longer term assistance from the outset.
“The Department has completed and consulted on the draft policy on Basic Income Support, as a pathway to address the long-term income needs of vulnerable working age individuals.
We are now refining the draft based on the constructive input we have received from various stakeholders, with a view to taking the draft policy through the Cabinet process, in the hope that it will get the necessary support and fiscal commitment to enable its approval for implementation,” said Zulu.
She said given the fact that such a policy, if approved, would require legislative amendments the department was seeking to petition Cabinet to extend the R350 grant provision for a further two years.
Black Sash national advocacy manager Hoodah Abrahams-Fayker said they looked forward to the transition of the temporary social relief of distress grant, to permanent social assistance for the unemployed.
“The extension of the grant would be a positive step, however the government should commit to provide permanent social assistance for the unemployed.
“People in South Africa would like to work and support themselves given the scarcity of work and the empty promises of job creation by the government,” said Abraham-Fayker.
She said the government should make a commitment to the unemployed and improve the amount of the grant, eligibility for the grant, access to the grant and address the challenges with implementations.
“While the social assistance framework is advanced in the country by providing grants to vulnerable people such as children, elderly and the disabled there is still a gap by not providing social assistance for those between 18 and 59 years who cannot find work to support themselves in a country with extremely high unemployment,” said Abraham-Fayker.
GOOD secretary-general Brett Herron said the extension would bring some comfort to those whose survival is assisted by this grant.
“Given the scale of unemployment and poverty the truth is that once this grant was introduced there was no way it could ever be withdrawn. The suggestion that it would be withdrawn on 31 March 2024 - right in the middle of a national election - was always a fairy tale.
“While National Treasury has held the view, as reported in the 2023/24 budget, that this is a temporary grant that will end in 2024 the ANC government knows that withdrawing the grant would be political suicide.
“However, we must not allow the ANC to play politics with the right to basic income support. In a country with poverty on a massive scale, and with an economy that is not producing enough jobs, the need for basic income support is a moral and legal duty,” said Herron.
Institute for Economic Justice’s Dalli Weyers said they welcomed the news that the Department of Social Development would soon reveal their basic income support policy.
“Basic income support is vital to protect the most vulnerable while helping to catalyse structural transformation of our economy,” Weyers said.
He also said the IEJ, along with partners in civil society, took part in the consultations where they submitted that the BIG must be set at a dignifying level that allowed people to meet their basic needs and cover the working age population between 18 and 59, among other things.
“Against the backdrop of a worsening crisis of food insecurity and economic exclusion, it is critical that the issue of basic income support is progressed urgently.
“A basic income grant must build from the existing beneficiary base of the SRD grant, and ensure continuity and improvement of benefits over time,” Weyers said.
He added that the SRD grant’s value had been significantly eroded by inflation and it was insufficient to cover basic needs.
“The value should be immediately raised to account for inflation since 2020, and a plan should be put in place to increase the grant to at least the food poverty line pending the introduction of the basic income grant.”
“We look forward to engaging further with the government on the details of the basic income support policy,” Weyers added.
Cape Times