LABOUR federation COSATU has once again endorsed the extension of the R350 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) Grant beyond 2022, adding that it believes this puts the country on a solid and affordable foundation for a Basic Income Grant.
The federation reiterated it call for the extension of the SRD grant beyond 2022 following its four-day Central Executive Committee (CEC), which started on Monday and ended on Thursday.
Cosatu president Zingiswa Losi said the CEC said the SRD has provided relief to more than 10 million unemployed recipients.
The government implemented the Social Relief of Distress Grant of R350 when Covid-19 set in. But it has been extended several times since 2020.
“We feel that it is affordable at a cost of R44 billion out of a budget of R1.8 trillion. What is not affordable is to leave 10 million unemployed persons with no source of income,” said Losi.
She said the grant recipients must be linked to skills training programmes to help them find jobs.
“We cannot sustain a ratio of 14 million employed persons supporting 30 million social grant recipients and unemployed persons,” she said.
Losi added that the R350 SRD Grant must be extended beyond 2022, increased to the food poverty line, and used as a foundation for a basic income grant.
Last month, the Department of Social Development said that people needed to reapply for the grant.
This was followed, on 16 May, by a reassurance from Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu that those who qualified for the grant would receive payment by June.
Meanwhile, the Federation called upon government and business to speed up the implementation of the Economic Recovery and Reconstruction Plan.
“… in particular the implementation of the Eskom Social Compact and a debt relief package for Eskom, rebuilding Transnet and Metrorail so our goods and commuters can reach their destinations safely and on time, ramping up the fight against corruption, and supporting locally produced goods,” the federation said.
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