The introduction of the COVID-19 SRD grant in 2020 galvanised civil society to work together to advance the goal of comprehensive social protection. In March 2021, civil society stakeholders came together in a forum to collectively advocate for the extension of the grant when it was due to terminate at the end of April 2021. The group sought:
● An extension of the SRD grant.
● An increase of the value of the SRD grant to at least the food poverty line (FPL).
● An extension of the eligibility criteria, with emphasis on allowing those who receive the
child support grant (CSG) on behalf of their children to also receive the SRD.
● Action to fix administrative inefficiencies including in the appeals process as well as the
use of outdated verification databases.
● More effective communications with applicants and beneficiaries.
● Urgent implementation of the long overdue Basic Income Grant (BIG) for those aged 18 to 59 years with little to no income as part of a pathway towards a Universal Basic Income Grant (UBIG).
In March 2023, we held a two-day strategic retreat, which culminated in the formation of the Universal Basic Income Coalition (UBIC). The UBIC currently comprises the following organisations: Alternative Information and Development Centre (AIDC); Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN); Africa UBI Observatory; Black Sash; Children’s Institute; Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU); Global Reformed Advocacy Platforms for Engagement (GRAPE); Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ); #PayTheGrants; Rightful Share An Income Movement; Social Policy Initiative (SPI); Women on Farms Project; Youth Lab; Family Caregiving.
The following position paper lays out the context for our demands and outlines the crisis we find ourselves in, which necessitates urgent action to extend a social protection floor to everyone. We also detail our specific demands for how basic income support should be implemented in South Africa.
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