BASIC INCOME SUPPORT FOR THOSE AGED #18TO59

WORKING TOWARDS UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME 

The South African Government has a constitutional and an international obligation to provide social security, including to ensure that those aged 18 to 59 years have access to social assistance. 

Watch the virtual launch of the Basic Income Support campaign and research report on 24 August 2020.

Section 27 of the Bill of Rights in the South African Constitution makes provision for Social Security “including appropriate social assistance if they are unable to support themselves”. Income support in the form of social grants is provided to approximately 18 million of the most vulnerable: the elderly, children and people with disabilities. However, able bodied persons aged 18 to 59 with no or little income are excluded from social assistance grants.

The South African government must uphold the United Nations International Covenant of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which it ratified. The Covenant forms the cornerstone of international human rights law. Key recommendations are that the South African government must “ensure that those between the ages of 18 and 59 with little or no income have access to social assistance; consider the possibility of introducing a universal basic income grant”; and “raise the level of government social assistance benefits to a level that ensures an adequate standard of living for recipients and their families”.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a global economic and humanitarian crisis.  South Africa’s already dire economic situation, with the triple challenges of systemic poverty, unemployment and inequality, has become bleaker. The national lockdown has exacerbated structural unemployment, led to increased food prices and placed immense strain on household resources. The pandemic has compounded food insecurity and hunger is widespread. For the foreseeable future, the economy will not be able to absorb all the unemployed.

Income support for those aged 18 to 59 with no or little income is a critical step towards government’s implementation of a universal basic income grant to ensure that all who live in South Africa have an adequate standard of living.

The Black Sash demands that government:

• Reinstate the R350 Covid-19 grant and increase it to at least the Food Poverty Line, currently R585. Unemployed women, who receive the Child Support Grant must also qualify for income support;
• Implement permanent social assistance for those aged 18 to 59, valued at the upper-bound poverty line, currently R1,268 per month. Caregivers, who receive the Child Support Grant must also qualify for this grant;
• Make the COVID-19 increases of R250 per month; permanent for all social grants
• Ensure that the above provisions apply to refugees, permanent residents, asylum seekers and migrant workers with special permits; and
• Work towards a universal basic income for all!

Click here to see a list of organisations who have endorsed the campaign