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NEVA MAKGETLA: Stalling of grants puts all of SA at risk
The social grant system is a critical element of the social compact, writes Neva Makgetla
When rich people complain about rising taxes and inefficient government, they should take a minute to reflect on the social grant system. It delivers grants ranging from R380 to R1,600 to 17-million people — almost a third of the population — every month. In 2015, social grants were the largest source of income for one in five of all households and for a third of all households in the poorest 60%. They provided about half of all the income received by the worst-off 40% of households. The Department of Social Development’s failure to develop a plan to deliver social grants after March is, therefore, breathtakingly irresponsible. It directly imperils the livelihoods of more than 3-million households. Indirectly, it poses a threat to social cohesion, which affects every South African.We hear a lot about how SA’s unusually deep social divisions mean it needs a social compact. Being one of the world’s most unequal economies brings in its train social and political conflict. The social gr...
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