Who can afford to pull the plug on Covid grants?

[View in browser]( [Mail & Guardian]( M&G Mornings | Fri 03 Nov   [Ron Derby] When South Africans think of welfare grants, those with a prejudiced view think the state with its limited tax base is supporting households with little to no ambition. But with statistics that show that roughly four in 10 children in the country grow up in single parent households, it’s hard to argue that beneficiaries are scoring a free lunch. Most of these households are led by black women, the largest segment of our population, who face the highest levels of unemployment and bear the brunt of gender-based discrimination. When the Covid pandemic hit some three years ago with the resultant job losses, again the most affected were this segment of our population. That is the context in which we should look at the R350 social relief of distress grant, a figure that will barely buy a tray of eggs at today’s going rate. Yesterday, the government extended the grant until 2025 in its medium-term budget policy statement but warned that it had not found a long-term solution to its continuation. Basically, the department of finance has given the incoming government in May next year, whether it’s still the ANC or a coalition government, the task of deciding to cut or keep the grant. Can the government that is still to come be able to pull the grant in a context of what surely will still be high unemployment, anaemic growth and a high inflationary environment? I don’t think so. But because the budget is limited and can only stretch so far, something simply has to give. We look to be on a course to more privatisation of troubled state-owned enterprises and the closure of particular ministries that look more a case of cadre appeasements than critical bureaucracies. Ron Derby | Editor-in-Chief [@Ronderby]( ADVERTISEMENT [Social relief of distress grant extended until 2025]( But Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana says beyond that mark, a comprehensive review of all welfare grants is needed [// Read more]( [Senzo Meyiwa trial: ‘Informant that told us of Ntanzi’s involvement’]( Witness says Ntanzi claimed to have only heard of the footballer’s murder on the news as he was at work on the day [// Read more]( [Agoa: Africa calling for another 10 years]( AU commissioner Albert Muchanga said reciprocal US access to duty-free African markets would not benefit the continent [// Read more]( Recommended Reads [Agoa and labour’s ‘nothing about us, without us’ moment]( Trade unions from the US and sub-Saharan Africa will be calling for decent work to be put on the agenda at this week’s Agoa forum [// Read more]( [Ramaphosa Q&A: No short-term solution to gender-based violence]( Pieter Groenewald of Freedom Front Plus highlighted inaccuracies in gender-based violence statistics [// Read more]( [Tax hikes will not be dramatic]( A senior treasury official told MPs the intention was not to close the widening deficit through higher personal income taxes [// Read more]( [SA must prepare for unprecedented climate risks, says climatology scientist]( Given that the Northern Hemisphere experienced unprecedented weather this past summer, South Africa should be on high alert this El Niño summer [// Read more]( Premium [Entrepreneur’s sizzling amadumbe success uplifts women]( A KwaZulu-Natal businesswoman has discovered a winning formula, making amadumbe crisps as well as cassava flour and porridge [// Read more]( [Share]( [Share]( [Tweet]( [Tweet]( [Forward]( [Forward]( This email was sent to {EMAIL} [why did I get this?]( [unsubscribe from this list]( [update subscription preferences]( The Mail & Guardian · The Metal Box · Braamfontein · Johannesburg, GP 2001 · South Africa