PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has assured Mzansi that his government will extend the R350 grant.
Delivering his State of the Nation Address on Thursday, 8 February, Ramaphosa said the Social Relief of Distress grant (SRD) has improved many lives.
“In the midst of the pandemic, we introduced the special SRD grant, which currently reaches some 9 million unemployed people every month. We have seen the benefits of this grant and will extend it and improve it as the next step towards income support for the unemployed,” he said.
He said these grants and subsidies do much more than give people what they need to live.
He pointed out that they are an investment in the future.
“Social assistance has been shown to increase school enrolment and attendance, lower drop-out rates, and improve the pass rate,” said Ramaphosa.
He said the story of the first 30 years of Mzansi democracy can be best told through the life of a child called Tintswalo, who was born at the dawn of freedom in 1994.
He said she grew up in a society that was worlds apart from the South Africa of her parents, grandparents and great-grandparents.
“She grew up in a society governed by a Constitution rooted in equality, the rule of law, and affirmation of the inherent dignity of every citizen. Tintswalo, and many others born at the same time as her, were beneficiaries of the first policies of the democratic state to provide free health care for pregnant women and children under the age of six,” said Ramaphosa.
He said she grew up in a household provided with basic water and electricity, in a house where her parents were likely to have lived without electricity before 1994.
He said she was supported by the government throughout her school years until she started working.
“This is the story of millions of people who have been born since the dawn of our democracy,” said the president.
He said state capture caused one of the greatest damages to Mzansi.
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He said for a decade, individuals at the highest levels of the state conspired with private individuals to take over and repurpose state-owned companies, law enforcement agencies and other public institutions.
“In some cases, these activities were enabled by local and multinational companies. Billions of rands that were meant to meet the needs of ordinary South Africans were stolen. Confidence in our country was badly eroded. Public institutions were severely weakened,” said Ramaphosa.
He said the Russia-Ukraine conflict has contributed to rising prices of fuel, food and other goods across the world and has, as a result, made life more difficult for all South Africans.
Ramaphosa said investment in infrastructure was gaining momentum as new and innovative funding mechanisms will be utilised to increase construction of infrastructure.
“The Department of Water and Sanitation aims to enhance water resource management by initiating infrastructure projects to secure water supply and diversifying water sources to reduce dependence on surface water. Bulk water projects are under construction across the country to improve water supply to millions of residents in villages, towns and cities,” he said.
He said over the past five years, the government worked to revive the economy from a decade of stagnation and protect it from both domestic and global shock.
“Our economy is today three times larger than it was 30 years ago. The number of South Africans in employment increased from 8 million in 1994 to over 16,7 million now,” he said.
He said since the revival of the renewable energy programme five years ago, the government has connected more than 2,500 MW of solar and wind power to the grid, with three times this amount already in procurement or construction.
“Through all of these actions, we are confident that the worst is behind us, and the end of load shedding is finally within reach,” he said.
