NEVA MAKGETLA: It is no time to be cutting the Covid-19 safety net
Numbers on the economic recovery from lockdown show many people still desperately need support
In mid-2023, GDP and employment essentially returned to prepandemic levels. In response, the government has begun to cut the safety net measures introduced to deal with the catastrophic downturn brought by Covid-19.
However, focusing on the recovery in GDP and employment in absolute terms ignores the fact that the population is now almost 5% higher than it was before the pandemic. As a result, average incomes are lower and joblessness is higher than before 2020. By extension, many people still desperately need basic support programmes such as the social relief of distress (SRD) grant, which provides R350 a month to those who have no other income...
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