R4 000 and above each month, that’s how much the EFF will pay for social grants if it is voted into power in the 2024 national elections. Party leader, Julius Malema, launched the EFF’s election manifesto at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban this weekend, reports The Citizen.
While the party leader came under fire for a runny nose (pictured below), which some are attributing to drug use, he also outlined what the EFF will pay for social grants if elected to power. Essentially, the party has vowed to double social grants across the board.
WHAT THE EFF WILL PAY FOR SOCIAL GRANTS
Appreciating that a key area for the electorate is poverty and inequality, here’s how much the EFF will pay for social grants if elected:
- Older Persons Grant: R2 090 to R4 180 per month.
- War Veterans Grant: R2 110 to R4 220 per month.
- Disability Grant: R2 090 to R4 180 per month.
- Care Dependency Grant: R2 090 to R4 180 per month.
- Foster Child Grant: R1 130 to R2 260 per month.
- Child Support Grant: R510 to R1 020 per month.
- Grant-in-Aid Support: R510 to R1 020 per month.
Additionally, what the EFF will pay for social grants includes a new disbursement for unemployed graduates, a Basic Income Grant of sorts. It will start from R1 000 for matriculants and increase for graduates with additional tertiary education.
SOCIAL GRANTS IN SOUTH AFRICA
Currently, 28-million people receive social grants from the government every month, including the R350 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant. R253 billion is allocated annually to South African Social Security Agency-disbursed grants. How Malema and the EFF propose to fund a doubling of all grants was not made clear during the party manifesto launch. However, Malema had the following to say about what the EFF will pay for social grants …
“When you give old people money, you are guaranteeing that that money is feeding the black child. Old people don’t gamble with it. They buy a bag of mielie meal, so our children are well fed. Imagine if you increase that amount to R4 180 per person a month. Tell them their father, Malema, will feed them when he becomes president of South Africa,” he exclaimed at his party gathering in KwaZulu-Natal.
