A post,
𝗚𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗡𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗜𝗦 𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗚𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗢 𝗨𝗦𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗥𝗗 𝗔𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗗𝗨𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗔𝗦𝗜𝗖 𝗜𝗡𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗘 𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗧, first appeared on SAFTU.
The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁 (𝗦𝗥𝗗) 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲 𝗮 𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗰 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁 (𝗕𝗜𝗚) 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝘁𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲𝘀.
Instead of keeping its promise to people with low incomes, the government has chosen fiscal consolidation by increasing the SRD grant by a mere R20,00. This means the SRD is adjusted to a paltry and tokenish R370,00. It is a mockery to the recipients of the SRD grants who are the overwhelming poor.
SAFTU and its working-class allies have been campaigning for the introduction of the universal Basic Income Grant at R1500 a month. This R20 comes nowhere near this demand.
Just as the R350 grant is not enough to provide relief to persons with no income, the R370 will still not meet the daily necessities of the 8.7 million youth Not in Employment Education and Training (NEET). It will neither relieve the 11,6 million unemployed South Africans. The food poverty line according to Statistics South Africa has grown to R760, whilst the average cost of a nutritional food basket for an individual who is 18 years old is R1075. The food basket for adults over 18 years old and added responsibilities would be higher, excluding the cost of personal hygiene products. Put differently, the R370 would not even meet a quarter of the monthly personal needs of an adult unemployed worker.
The price of 25 white loaves has increased from R408,73 in February 2023 to R422,11 in February 2024. The 25 loaves of brown bread increased from R368,54 in February 2023 to R377,42 in February 2024. This shows that the R370 cannot even provide bread every day for a month to the recipients. The cost of foods prioritised and bought first in the Household Food Basket has increased from R2 705, 53 to R2 810, 23 according to the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity, which conducts Household cost of living annually. From these lenses, even the SAFTU demand for the R1500 is too modest.
