SACP Calls On Government To Implement A Universal Basic Income Grant For 33m Poor South Africans

THE South African Communist Party (SACP) has called on government to implementation a Universal Basic Income Grant to assist millions of poor and unemployed South Africans.

Delivering a keynote address at the launch of the Red October campaign during a virtual rally on Sunday, SACP General Secretary Blade Nzimande said government’s R350 Covid-19 social relief grant gave a lifeline to many people and should be implemented on a permanent basis.

“The levels of social distress, with a new job-loss bloodbath on top of existing crises, means that apart from thousands of localised initiatives and programmes, we have to respond with urgency and across the board. The Special Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress Grant (SRDG) of R350 per month has offered a survival life-line to millions. But that grant is now due to expire at the end of this month,” said Nzimande.

“We cannot allow this to happen. The SRDG grant