Calls have been circulating around for the extension of COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress and Caregiver grants.
Also, some civil society organisations are requesting for the increase of the R350 grant to R585.
However, the Institute for Economic Justice has warned that if the grants doesn’t go on, it will lead to a humanitarian crisis.
Neil Coleman from the Institute said:
“Imagine that a grant of R350, for a month, has to get an unemployed person and their dependents through, it’s unbelievable to imagine the struggles that people have. A caregiver’s grant is R500.”
“These are tiny amounts introduced by the government when the COVID lockdown hit, under the assumption that six months later, (which is how long the grants were set for) the economy would have bounced back and these people would have been able to improve their living standards.
“All the research shows the effects of the lockdown continue to be devastating for many, many people.”
Coleman approximates about 13 million South Africans are grant recipients (excluding dependents) and if it not attended to, it will result to a nationwide humanitarian crisis.
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