GOOD Statement by Brett Herron,
GOOD Secretary-General & Member of Parliament
15 August 2023
The GOOD Party believes that the high unemployment rate once again highlights the country’s desperate need for a Basic Income Grant.
In the Q2:2023 figures released by StatsSA, 32.6% of South Africans are without a job or proper income.
Although this figure is down by 0.3 of a percentage point compared to the last quarter, it still leaves a shocking number of South Africans desperately in need of support.
The expanded definition, which includes the people who have given up looking for jobs, decreased by 0.3 of a percentage point to 42,1%.
Despite the decrease, 13.3 million citizens, who are of working age, are not economically active.
With women and youth being the most vulnerable in the labour market
The total number of unemployed youth (15-34 years) is 4.7 million.
These stubbornly high figures are a stark reminder that many South Africans will remain trapped in poverty for a number more years, many without any sort of daily income to survive on.
There is no doubt that South Africa needs an economy that can generate jobs, but in the meantime, it needs a complete overhaul of its social security system, starting with the introduction of measures such as a Basic Income Grant.
The GOOD party proposes that the R350 Social Relief of Distress grant be used as the foundation for a Basic Income Grant and that this be increased to R999 per month.
This would place the Basic Income Grant at approximately the lower-bound poverty line.
It’s not a charitable act but a Constitutional and moral one.
GOOD calls on the State to commit to implementing a Basic Income Grant to support the millions of unemployed people in our country.
Media Enquiries:
Brett Herron, GOOD Secretary-General & Member of Parliament
Cell: 082 518 3264
Email: bretth@forgood.org.za
Samantha Jackson, GOOD Acting Media Manager
Cell: 083 550 9875
Email: media@forgood.org.za