Calls to restructure economy, reduce grant dependency
There are calls for government to restructure the country's economy to reduce dependency on social grants.
Last week, the South African Social Security Agency said it received around 17-million applications for the Social Relief of Distress Grant last month.
The highest number of applications came from KZN with 4.4 million.
The grant pays out 370 rand monthly and was introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic.
READ: SA economy grows by 0.4%
Siyabulela Mama of the Assembly of the Unemployed organisation says the growing number of people relying on this grant is worrying.
"We think that South Africa is not producing jobs or any form of employment. Over 12 million South Africans voted in the country. We need the state-led investment and this is the one that will take us out of this. Unemployment is also a feature of capitalizm."
The unemployment rate is currently at 33.5 %.
