Current Project
Universal Basic Income & Covid-19
During the spread of Covid-19 , the South African Government launched several new temporary social grants to help those affected by poverty and unemployment. Their flagship grant, the Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress Grant (Covid SRD), targeted 19 to 59 year olds with little or no income, who had been excluded by previous social assistance programs. 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. Many people were excluded from accessing this grant because they did not have access to smart phones, bank accounts and internet to apply. Others were excluded because the government set a very low income threshold for qualification and assessed income on the basis of out of date government databases (e.g. the Unemployment Insurance Fund, South African Revenue Service). Still others were excluded because the Post Office and Postbank were under-funded and under-capacitated to deliver grants and closed essential branches near where people lived. We used our research to advocate the Presidency and Treasury to make the SRD grant permanent, to raise the means-test, to adequately fund the application, distribution and recourse systems, and to move toward converting this grant into a Universal Basic Income.
PATHWAYS TO IMPACT:
- The Black Sash filed a Constitutional Court case to ensure women who received child support grants qualified for Covid Grants.
- The Black Sash supported the Scalibrini Institute court case to ensure special permit holders, permanent residents and refugees also qualified for covid grants.
- We met with the Presidency, Treasury, Department of Social Development and the South African Social Security Agency to push for the extension of the covid grant beyond its initial 6-month term.
- We advocated for raising the means test so that more people qualify for the Covid grants and for raising the grant amount to keep up with inflation.
- We advocated for functional application, delivery and recourse mechanisms for people who have been excluded from the Covid grant.
IMPACT ACHIEVED:
- Women and documented migrants now qualify for the grant.
- The Covid Grant has been extended for four years. Most people think that it has now become politically impossible to repeal.
- The Covid Grant has been institutionalised as policy beyond the "state of disaster."
- The means test has been raised from R0 to the food poverty line of R624. The grant was raised from R350 to R370.
FUTURE IMPACT:
- We are fighting for the Covid Grant to be converted into a permanent, universal basic income.
- We want the grant to be of sufficient value for people to cover their basic needs, pegged to an objective measure of poverty.
- We want the technologies of application and distribution to be easy and efficient to access for everyone.
- We don't want people to be continually denied through a punitive and often inaccurate means-test.
- We want everyone to have the option of digital and in-person assistance through SASSA.
advocacy agenda
introduce universal basic inome
Read: Our report on social protection and Covid-19.
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Watch: Nelisiwe Xaba, Engenas Senona, Wanga Zembe-Mkabile and I launch our new report.
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Watch: My interview with Newzroom Afrika about how people experience the process of accessing social grants.
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