ERIN TORKELSON

  • About
  • Research
  • Teaching
  • Impact
    • Digital Profiteers
    • Covid-19 & Grants
    • Debt & Grants
    • Net1's Payment System
    • Land & Housing
  • Events
  • Contact
  • About
  • Research
  • Teaching
  • Impact
    • Digital Profiteers
    • Covid-19 & Grants
    • Debt & Grants
    • Net1's Payment System
    • Land & Housing
  • Events
  • Contact

Current Project

Covid-19 and Social Grants 

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During the spread of Covid-19 , the South African Government launched several new social grants to help those affected by poverty and unemployment. Their flagship grant, the Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress Grant, targeted 19 to 59 year olds with little or no income, who had been excluded by previous social assistance programs. They also introduced a Caregivers Grant for adults caring for children under 18. Engenas Senona, Wanga Zembe and I interviewed members of the Black Sash around the country about their experience with these grants. We found that these grants were vitally necessary, but came with new challenges and exclusions because of the way the programs rolled out. Our report examines how we can learn from these challenges to advocate for universal basic income.

advocacy agenda

introduce universal basic inome

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Read: Our report on social protection in the time of Covid-19.
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Watch: Nelisiwe Xaba, Engenas Senona, Wanga Zembe-Mkabile and I launch our new report.

Newzroom Afrika interview

experiences of  Social grants under covid-19


News Articles

Ground Up​    Marecia damons, R350 covid grant is too little and excludes too many. 28 JULY 2021.
GROUND UP​    engenas SENONA, erin TORKELSON & wanga ZEMBE, COVID-19 SRD GRANT SHOULD BE R585. 27 JULY 2021
Daily Maverick​    an wentzel, concern that the extended covid-19 relief grant is too low,  27 JULY 2021.
Independent online​    nomahlubi sonjica, R350 social relief grant mired in challenges,  27 JULY 2021

Radio and TV

Metro FM​    Erin Torkelson, Social Protection in a Time of covid, The Kings SuitE. 28 July 2021
Newzroom Afrika​    ERIN TORKELSON, how people experience the distribution of grants. 28 JULY 2021
Chai FM​    ERIN TORKELSON, SOCIAL PROTECTION IN A TIME OF COVID, THE morning mayhem. 28 JULY 2021

Presentations

consultation with SASSA & DSD    ERIN TORKELSON & the black sash, lessons for basic income, 18 august 2021

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