The DA says its government won’t discard grants, but warns it is “unsustainable for people to solely be reliant” on them.
The party also says there needs to be a clear strategy on job creation as overreliance on state welfare is unsustainable in the long term.
Acting policy head Mathew Cuthbert said this week that the DA believed social welfare is an important mechanism to protect the poor from unemployment and the tough economy.
“The DA’s position is clear and often we are accused‚ particularly by the ANC‚ that if we were to come into government‚ we would take away people’s grants — and that’s absolute nonsense‚” said Cuthbert.
“Our view is that grants provide a social safety net for people who are unable to find employment and it’s an important protection mechanism to make sure that people don’t find themselves in absolute poverty‚ and I think it’s important to emphasise that on behalf of the DA.”
Cuthbert comments on policy discussions come ahead of the DA’s federal congress at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand this weekend. The party is set to elect its new leadership, including a party leader‚ federal chair and deputies, as well as a federal council chair and deputies.
The party is expected to debate policy on coalitions‚ BEE and the SA Reserve Bank’s mandate‚ among other issues.
Cuthbert set out the party’s position on social grants‚ which the ANC and its government has been most vocal about as the country edges closer to the 2024 general election.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has on numerous occasions this year lauded the fact that almost half of the SA’s population is 100% dependent on the state‚ saying this was a positive thing as it showed the ANC government cared for its people.
However, there has been much criticism of the ANC‚ with pundits saying the party should be creating jobs instead of celebrating the increasing number of people reliant on state handouts.
Cuthbert said the DA supported the grant system but people needed jobs. He also said the party supported a basic income grant should the economy allow for it as the current monthly social grants were scant.
“But in saying that‚ we also need to have an economy that promotes private sector involvement and creates more jobs. It is unsustainable in the long term for people to solely be reliant on grants and it takes away from their own personal dignity.
“It is very important to understand that‚ and I think people often make this misconception. I don’t think people choose to want to be on grants. They don’t just wake up one morning and say ‘I want to be on a grant’. People want to be employed‚ they want to make a meaningful difference in their lives and be able to lead a life where they can provide for their families.”
He said the DA would rather advocate for redirection of resources from things like VIP protection for politicians to grants and job creation.
The narrative that a DA government would abolish social grants and lead the country back to apartheid was far from the truth‚ said Cuthbert.
“We are committed to redress‚ we are committed to making sure we correct the injustices of the past and if we are to get into government‚ we are not removing social grants. We are going to make sure that there is a social protection mechanism in place.
“If we look at the structure of SA‚ particularly from a constitutional point of view‚ all these things cannot be removed anyway because they are enshrined in the constitution.”
He said the socioeconomic rights in the constitution binds people to act in a particular way. “So it means that if you were to come in and do that‚ you could be challenged in court and you would be immediately found on the wrong side of the law. So there are all these wonderful constitutional protections in place to ensure we can never go back to the past.”
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