The GOOD party says the government can afford to extend its Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant - and increase it by more than double!
This comes after Minister of Social Development Lindiwe Zulu indicated she would ask cabinet to support a two-year extension of the R350 per month grant.
According to GOOD, the extension would bring some comfort to those whose survival is assisted by this grant.
“In reply to a parliamentary question from the IFP, the minister confirmed the department is seeking the extension to provide interim relief while they work on a draft policy for a more permanent Basic Income Support.
“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scale of unemployment and poverty, the truth is that once this grant was introduced there was no way it could ever be withdrawn,” said GOOD secretary-general Brett Herron.
He said R350 per month is not nearly sufficient.
GOOD proposes that the SRD grant be used as the foundation for a Basic Income Grant and be increased to R999 per month.
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“The state can afford to extend the grant, but it can also afford to increase it to R999 per month.
“The GOOD party has done the research and through measures such as effective allocations, restructuring government, and some amendments to certain tax incentives, we can ensure that those who need it are provided with assistance that will allow them to meet their most basic human needs,” he said.
He said the government was not meeting the needs of those who were unable to provide for themselves was a "massive failure".
He said a comprehensive social security system could and must be implemented if there was the necessary political will.
“It’s not a charitable act, but a Constitutional and moral one,” he said.
He said that while National Treasury has held the view that the SRD was a temporary grant that will end in 2024, the ANC government knew 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,” he said.
