Mzansi was facing a tough battle economically before the COVID-19 pandemic, and it has just gotten worse. The latest Household Affordability Index [1] shows us that the average household in Mzansi cannot afford the bare minimum for food and sustenance. People are starving. The situation is just going to get worse because Finance Minister Tito Mboweni and National Treasury have delivered an anti-poor austerity budget.
But we can help change this. The R350 SRD grant must be extended beyond April 2021 until it is converted into Basic Income Support. Our leaders can no longer offer us excuses. The 2002 Taylor Committee recommended a Basic Income Grant, and in 2020, Black Sash commissioned and published extensive research on Basic Income Support [2].
Tomorrow the Appropriations Committee will meet and decide whether they support our demand. If enough of us put pressure on committee members from the three largest political parties, they may agree to our demands.
amandla .mobi is an independent, non-partisan community advocacy organisation that is not aligned with any political party. With our members, we are participating in parliament’s public comment process. We are targeting six committee members from each of the three largest political parties to apply public pressure strategically.
We are also supporting Black Sash’s public call to increase the R350 SRD grant to at the very least the Food Poverty Line of R585. The eligibility criteria of the SRD must also be urgently adjusted to include adult women who are unemployed and who receive a Child Support Grant on behalf of children [3].
https://youtu.be/Cn6C7BjOSOU
[1]
https://pmbejd.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/February-2021-Household-Affordability-Index-PMBEJD_03032021.pdf
[2] Basic Income Support 2020:
http://www.blacksash.org.za/images/campaigns/basicincomesupport/BasicIncomeSupport2020.pdf
[3] Open Letter to Finance Minister: Budget places the poor on the altar of fiscal consolidation, Black Sash, 1 March 2021
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