Goodhope Dlangamandla | goodhope@radioislam.co.za
22 February 2023 | 11:15 AM CAT
3 min read

Photo Credit: IEJ

The budget is likely to roll back social grants yet again, but if it does so, the government will be challenged.

That is the warning from the Institute for Economic Justice. It claims that the President has committed to extending the Social Relief of Distress grant, which could be the foundation for a game-changing universal basic income system. Treasury, on the other hand, has a different perspective.

Kelle Howson, speaking on Radio Islam International, said they welcomed the President’s announcement at the State of the Nation Address that South Africa’s social grants would receive an inflation-based increase in 2023, with the hope that it would also apply to the social relief of distress grant, which is an essential cornerstone of the social grant system. However, there are indications that this will not be the case.

She also stated that the department released a draft and amendments to the regulations governing the social relief in distress grant last week, indicating that the grant will remain at its current level.

“In other words, there will be no changes made to those regulations except to extend them for a year.”

According to Howson, the Treasury put in place numerous barriers last year, preventing many people from receiving the grant, which resulted in many beneficiaries dropping out.

“The grant was distributed to 10.9 million beneficiaries at this time last year; in the year since, the grant be eroded to a number of bearers, limiting access to the grant; a complicated online application system, and now only 7.5 million people are receiving the grant.”

She also expressed concern that the same barriers will be used further to reduce Wednesday’s SRD grant’s budget funding.

However, Howson stated that they are considering their options for challenging and opposing the SRD grant cut.

She also stated that they are discussing this with their lawyers.

“We think that there are some aspects of this process that may be unlawful, but it is certainly retrogression of people’s rights.”

“What we have seen happening is social assistance being rolled back, so we will certainly, if that continues to be the case in this budget, explore our options for challenging it, including the possibility of doing so in court,” Howson said.

Listen to the full interview on Your World Today with Mufti Yusuf Moosagie and his guest, Kelle Howson.