Various civil society groups marched from KwaLanga to Kariega Town Hall to demand the R350 Social Relief of Distress grant be made a Basic Income Grant of R1,500.
SASSA: Extension of the R350 Social Relief Grant is an election ploy
AfriForum says the ANC government’s decision to continue the R350 Social Relief Grant is to retain votes for 2024.
Various civil society groups marched from KwaLanga to Kariega Town Hall to demand the R350 Social Relief of Distress grant be made a Basic Income Grant of R1,500.
The civil rights organisation AfriForum considers extending the payment period of the controversial R350 Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress Grant well into 2024 as an election ploy.
SOCIAL RELIEF GRANT IS A PLOY TO RETAIN VOTES
AFrifory says this grant should not be extended as it is an expenditure government cannot afford.
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The organisation today submitted written comments to the Department of Social Development to oppose this plan.
In his recent Budget speech, Enoch Godongwana, the Minister of Finance, acknowledged the pressing issue of the government’s growing budget deficit.
This deficit is primarily due to excess state expenditures, for which no funds are available, rampant corruption, wasteful spending, and mismanagement of funds.
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GOVERNMENT CAN NOT AFFORD THE R350 GRANT
The R350 Covid-19 Social Relief Grant constitutes one of these excessive expenditures the government cannot afford to keep paying.
The increase in poverty and unemployment witnessed in recent years has more to do with the government’s destructive lockdown policies. AfriForum says government will not be able to solve it through the R350 Social Relief Grant afford.
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“With the national elections in 2024, one cannot help but interpret the ANC government’s hard press to extend the payment period for this grant into 2024 as an election ploy to retain votes,” says Ernst van Zyl, Campaign Officer for Strategy and Content at AfriForum.
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“The only way the ANC can cling to power is through the massive government patronage system they have built up over the decades. It is a cruel system that has entrapped over 50% of South Africa’s population in state dependency. The Covid-19 Social Relief Grant is just another cynical cog in this electioneering machine,” says van Zyl
