South Africa is on the brink of implementing a Basic Income Grant (BIG) to provide essential support to its citizens. The African National Congress (ANC) has expressed its commitment to ensuring the wellbeing and prosperity of all South Africans by introducing this grant, which will not replace existing social welfare programs but rather supplement them. The funding for the BIG will be generated through progressive tax measures and other innovative mechanisms to maximize fiscal resources.
The ANC aims to expand the reach of the grant beyond just job seekers, acknowledging the exclusion of many vulnerable individuals and promising to increase its value to benefit more beneficiaries. The goal is to establish a permanent basic income support system that alleviates poverty and hunger for a wider range of people, including caregivers and those in precarious employment.
TimesLIVE