Mark Rountree, National Policy Officer for GOOD
17 June 2021
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The confirmation from the Minister of Social Development that her department will be issuing a discussion document on the proposed Basic Income Grant (BIG) is a welcome, but decades delayed, step in ensuring support for vulnerable South Africans.
Whilst we welcome this move, as an immediate interim step, GOOD appeals for the temporary Covid-19 grant to be made permanent until such time as the BIG can be formally launched.
GOOD has campaigned consistently for a Basic Income Grant to be implemented in South Africa.
Although our social support for children, the elderly and disabled is something we can be proud of, millions of South Africans remain unemployed and unsupported.
No just society should be making its people starve.
Patricia de Lille, the leader of GOOD, said that a basic income grant (BIG) is necessary “to alleviate the social and economic trauma of rampant unemployment and inhumane hunger.”
GOOD believes that a government committed to eliminating rampant theft and corruption is capable of making the savings needed to implement a basic income grant.
Bringing the money back into the budget that has been lost to corruption would be a huge source of income.
Until such time as a BIG can be rolled out, GOOD reiterates it’s appeal for the temporary Covid-19 support grant to be made permanent.
Last month, GOOD was one of just a handful of political parties to support the allocation of an additional R2.8 billion to Social Development.
The DA, EFF, IFP, FF and ACDP voted against allocating R2.8billion for grants, whilst the UDM, ATM, AIC, PAC and Cope were absent from the vote.
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