Economist urges govt to adjust SRD grant in line with inflation
An economist says government should consider
adjusting the Social Relief of Distress Grant to account for inflation.
Duma Gqubule feels the current amount of R370 a month is not sufficient.
The grant was introduced during the Covid pandemic to assist those in financial hardship.
Recently, social security agency SASSA, revealed that it received around 17-million applications for the grant in September alone.
READ: Food prices increasing at unaffordable rate, says Competition Commission
Gqubule, who is an economist and researcher at the Social Policy Initiative, says government will have to make changes if it wants to reduce poverty in the next three years.
“I have been part of the campaign for this SRD grant to be converted into inversely basic income at a lower-bound poverty line. I think it about R760 a month.
"So, I believe that this srd grant must be increased in value. The government must stop putting these ridiculous conditions on people, because the 17 million people applied half of them are rejected, all though they are in desperate situations."
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