How to Apply for Basic Income Grant in South Africa
There has been a recent development in the rollout of grants among citizens of South African. This is after the announcement of a new basic income grant that is foreseen to take the future of social grants in SA to another level. The president made it clear that the basic income grant would be founded on the existing SRD grant. This means that the proposed grant will replace the existing SRD grant. Moreover, the universal basic income grant aims to provide financial support to all citizens regardless of their employment status, income, gender, or race. Hence, there is much excitement as the country gears towards its eventual implementation. However, many are still in the dark as the exact date has not been set by the government. This article delves deeper into the topic.
How to Apply for Basic Income Grant in South Africa
South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, has identified income poverty as one of the top contributors to the country’s overall poverty. Besides increasing job opportunities for the citizens, he set up government initiatives and other interventions to assist the jobless. One of the measures was the implementation of the Social Relief of Distress SRD grant. Ideally, this grant was meant to be a temporary grant to aid vulnerable citizens after the COVID-19 pandemic. But there’s more to be seen in the country’s social welfare policy.
South Africans have to prepare themselves for the major change as the government has proposed replacing the SRD grant with the universal basic income grant. This will present a significant shift in the social welfare policy. The goal of the new universal basic income grant is to provide unconditional financial support to all adults aged between 18 and 59, regardless of their income and employment status. This move will see South Africa as one of the first countries to implement UBI nationally.
Besides the information on the government’s intent to introduce universal basic income in South Africa, there is not much information as to when it will be implemented. Therefore, there are no details regarding the application process.
Also Check: 5 Reasons Why Universal Basic Income Is a Bad Idea
Who is eligible for the universal basic income?
The universal basic income grant is indeed universal as it will be provided to all citizens. There are no specific eligibility rules except age and citizenship. That is, it is available for all South African citizens between the ages of 18 and 59. The Universal basic income will be paid monthly and guarantees every eligible applicant receives the support.
Also Check: How to Apply for the SASSA R700 Grant Online Application Form
When will the basic income grant start?
According to the government, the universal basic income grant is proposed to replace the existing SRD grant. The SRD grant was a grant designed to be a lifeline to millions of unemployed people in the country. However, it was only meant to be temporary. In light of this, the president stated that the SRD grant would be the basis of the new universal basic income grant.
During its pre-election rallies, the African National Congress, ANC, promised to have the basic income grant finalized within two years. Meanwhile, the SRD grant has been extended several times since the pandemic. In the 2024 budget, the SRD grant had an allocated R33.6 billion, extending it to 2025. Moreover, the government provisionally allocated funding for the SRD grant to March 2027. Therefore, it remains unclear at which point the universal basic income grant will take effect.
Conclusion
The universal basic income grant will be available to every South African citizen regardless of income, race, and gender. Unfortunately, besides the intent of the government to eventually introduce the universal basic income, they have been vague on the details regarding the financing plan and date of implementation.
