Thirteen South African organisations on Tuesday called on government to pay every citizen a basic income grant of 100 randdollars) "from cradle to grave" to alleviate widespread poverty.
The grant is meant to bring relief especially to the 13.8 million poor South Africans who receive no welfare funding whatsoever, Neil Coleman from the trade union federation COSATU told journalists at the launch of a campaign to pressurise government.
He said the state could recover part of the cost to the treasury by introducing a "solidarity tax", which will see those who can afford it give back part, or the whole grant, or pay an even a higher sum.
"Everybody will receive the basic income grant of 100 rand but those who can afford it will give back that and more," Coleman said.
The campaign is spearheaded by COSATU (the Congress of South African Trade Unions), an alliance partner of the ruling African National Congress, but has the backing of AIDS activists as well as church and women's organisations that opposed apartheid before 1994.
The organisations said research has shown that almost half of South Africa's poor live on less than 25 rand per month and the proposed grant would increase this fivefold.
"At least 22 million South Africans, more than half of the population, live in poverty, nearly all of them are black, 70 percent live in rural areas and increasingly families are faced with HIV.
"Yet the majority drop straight through the social security net," Doug Tilton of the South African Council of Churches said.
The government has commissioned an independent inquiry into South Africa's social network and will at the end of the month receive its recommendations.
Democracy has done little to improve welfare benefits for South Africans, with some receiving less than before as government has had to distribute scarce resources to a greater number of people after it did away with race-based handouts.
But government has promised to provide free basic services for poor households and started, on Sunday, to provide 6,000 litres (1,560 gallons) of free water per household to about 23 million people.
Free basic electricity will be delivered to people in 16 rural areas later this month. |
