The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) ๐ถ๐ ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐ถ๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ผ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ด๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐น๐ถ๐ฒ๐ณ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ (๐ฆ๐ฅ๐) ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ฐ ๐๐ป๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ (๐๐๐) ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐.
Instead of keeping its promise to people with low incomes, the government has chosen fiscal consolidation by increasing the SRD grant by a mere R20,00. This means the SRD is adjusted to a paltry and tokenish R370,00. It is a mockery to the recipients of the SRD grants who are the overwhelming poor.
SAFTU and its working-class allies have been campaigning for the introduction of the universal Basic Income Grant at R1500 a month. This R20 comes nowhere near this demand.
Just as the R350 grant is not enough to provide relief to persons with no income, the R370 will still not meet the daily necessities of the 8.7 million youth Not in Employment Education and Training (NEET). It will neither relieve the 11,6 million unemployed South Africans. The food poverty line according to Statistics South Africa has grown to R760, whilst the average cost of a nutritional food basket for an individual who is 18 years old is R1075. The food basket for adults over 18 years old and added responsibilities would be higher, excluding the cost of personal hygiene products. Put differently, the R370 would not even meet a quarter of the monthly personal needs of an adult unemployed worker.
The price of 25 white loaves has increased from R408,73 in February 2023 to R422,11 in February 2024. The 25 loaves of brown bread increased from R368,54 in February 2023 to R377,42 in February 2024. This shows that the R370 cannot even provide bread every day for a month to the recipients. The cost of foods prioritised and bought first in the Household Food Basket has increased from R2 705, 53 to R2 810, 23 according to the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity, which conducts Household cost of living annually. From these lenses, even the SAFTU demand for the R1500 is too modest.
