Human rights organisation Black Sash has joined the chorus of calls for the introduction of a basic income grant to assist millions of poverty-stricken South Africans. This follows a similar call made by Minister Lindiwe Zulu.
There are mounting calls for the introduction of a basic income grant in South Africa, as millions are strangled by poverty in the country due to growing unemployment. Human rights organisation Black Sash is the latest organisation to support these calls after Social Development Minister, Lindiwe Zulu, reignited discussion of the potential introduction of such a grant.
The unemployment rate in South Africa reached a record high last month, officially sitting at 32.5%. This is after the lockdown and other coronavirus-related restrictions dealt a huge blow to the economy and pushed the unemployment rate up. Many businesses were forced to close their doors.
‘No other solution’
“There’s no other solution but to to implement a basic income grant,” said Hoodah Abrahams-Fayker. She is the national advocacy manager at Black Sash. This is in line with Minister Zulu’s calls for a basic income grant to assist millions of unemployed people.
“There is overwhelming support, across political and ideological lines, for a basic income grant now. The Black Sash supports the request for the Finance Minister Tito Mboweni to find the necessary resources to finance a Basic Income Grant for those aged 18 to 59 years with no to little income,” she said.
Can South Africa afford such a grant?
Earlier this year, President Cyril Ramaphosa stated that the government coffers cannot support families hit by the pandemic. “We do not have the money, that’s the simple truth that has to be put out there, we are constrained from a financing point of view,” Ramaphosa told EWN in an interview.
In response to questions about the affordability of the basic income grant, Abrahams-Fayker said that allowing citizens to fall deeper into poverty without the implementation of such a grant will only worsen the situation. She added that “it’s a responsibility and obligation of government to implement this grant in terms of the constitution.”
“There is a struggle to find a job even though you you are capable of working despite promises (made) by government that there will be job creation,” she said.
‘It boils down to political will’
Abrahams-Fayker believes that the implementation of such a grant boils down to political will. She said: “If there is a political will on the part of government to implement a grant, resources can be found. Re-prioritise what the government expenditure is. Put basic income grant and social support on on the agenda of government.”
She added that implementing the grant will work to the advantage of government in the fight against unemployment. “When people are given a little bit of money, then are then able to use that money to to get more. They are empowered, they can start looking for work,” she said.
At present, nearly a third of South Africans are reliant on a government grant of some sort. As of 2019, approximately 18 million South Africans vulnerable to poverty or in need of state support received social grants, relief assistance or social relief from the government. This is considerably higher than the 3 million in 1996. KwaZulu-Natal has the highest number of grant recipients, with just over 4 million people receiving a grant of some sort in that province.
Watch the full discussion here:
