Charles Molele
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s historic R500 billion stimulus package designed to help businesses in distress, vulnerable children and poor families has hit the right chords.
In the wake of the novel coronavirus, millions of South Africans living in the country’s sprawling townships and informal settlements, whom the Martinique-born philosopher and psychiatrist Franz Fanon called the ‘wretched of the earth’, have been struggling to make ends meet due to limitations that the pandemic has placed on their ability to generate incomes and meaningful livelihoods.
Sitting sombrely behind his desk at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, Ramaphosa said the plight of millions of South Africans who are unable to feed their children due to the lack of work or income during the lockdown was his government’s biggest challenge.
He said this was at the centre of his government’s stimulus package, and required an economic response that was equal to the scale of the disruption the pandemic was causing.
“Poverty and food insecurity have deepened dramatically in the course of just a few weeks,” said Ramaphosa on Tuesday evening.
“To reach the most vulnerable families in the country, we have decided on a temporary 6-month Coronavirus grant.”
Ramaphosa said government has set aside R50 billion towards relieving the plight of those who were most desperately affected by the coronavirus.
“This means that child support grant beneficiaries will receive an extra R300 in May and from June to October they will receive an additional R500 each month,” announced Ramaphosa.
“All other grant beneficiaries will receive an extra R250 per month for the next six months. In addition, a special Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress grant of R350 a month for the next 6 months will be paid to individuals who are currently unemployed and do not receive any other form of social grant or UIF payment.”
He said the Department of Social Development will issue the requirements needed to access and apply for this funding.
“We have recognised that the food distribution capacity of government is not adequate to meet the huge need that has arisen since the start of the epidemic,” he said.
“The South African Social Security Agency – SASSA – will within days implement a technology-based solution to roll out food assistance at scale through vouchers and cash transfers to ensure that help reaches those who need it faster and more efficiently.”
Clearly incensed by media reports of the ‘dodgy’ distribution of food parcels, Ramaphosa issued a stern warning against corrupt councillors accused of looting food parcels meant for the poor.
“We are deeply disturbed by reports of unscrupulous people abusing the distribution of food and other assistance for corrupt ends,” said Ramaphosa.
“We will not hesitate to ensure that those involved in such activities face the full might of the law.”
He also announced that the Department of Social Development has partnered with the Solidarity Fund, NGOs and community-based organisations to distribute 250,000 food parcels across the country over the next two weeks.
Ramaphosa capped his speech by paying tribute to the strength and resilience of South Africans, who, he said, have proven time and again that they can rise to any challenge.
“We shall recover. We shall overcome. We shall prosper. May God bless South Africa and protect her,” he said before ending his speech with his characteristic, “I thank you.”
