UBIC statement: Election scorecard prompts positive responses and policy commitments

The Universal Basic Income Coalition (UBIC) reports that its election scorecard prompted several South African political parties, including the ANC, UDM, and GOOD, to clarify or expand their commitments to a universal basic income grant (UBIG). The ANC specifically committed to finalizing a policy for a universal BIG within two years, rejecting conditionalities, and ensuring the grant does not replace existing social security. However, UBIC notes that achieving these goals requires a shift away from austerity measures that currently exclude approximately 6 million eligible people from the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant monthly.

• The ANC has committed to implementing a universal and redistributive basic income grant (BIG) if it remains in government, which it intends to achieve by progressively expanding the value and coverage of the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) Grant.
• The ANC's specific commitments regarding the BIG include finalizing a policy within two years, rejecting conditionalities, linking values to poverty lines, ensuring progressive financing, and maintaining existing public services and social security like the Child Support Grant (CSG).
• Current austerity measures have led to the monthly exclusion of approximately 6 million eligible individuals (about 50%) from the SRD grant, alongside issues such as pay point closures and SASSA capacity constraints.
• Other political parties that responded to the UBIC scorecard, specifically the UDM and GOOD, adopted additional statements or policies affirming their commitment to a UBIG, with GOOD specifically mentioning the removal of unfair barriers to social grant access.

APA

Institute for Economic Justice (2024). UBIC statement: Election scorecard prompts positive responses and policy commitments. https://iej.org.za/press-room/statements/ubic-statement-election-scorecard-prompts-positive-responses-and-policy-commitments/

Chicago

Institute for Economic Justice. UBIC statement: Election scorecard prompts positive responses and policy commitments. 2024. https://iej.org.za/press-room/statements/ubic-statement-election-scorecard-prompts-positive-responses-and-policy-commitments/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Institute for Economic Justice |title=UBIC statement: Election scorecard prompts positive responses and policy commitments |date=24 May 2024 |url=https://iej.org.za/press-room/statements/ubic-statement-election-scorecard-prompts-positive-responses-and-policy-commitments/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{instituteforeconomicjustice2024ubic, author = {{Institute for Economic Justice}}, title = {{UBIC statement: Election scorecard prompts positive responses and policy commitments}}, publisher = {Institute for Economic Justice}, year = {2024}, month = may, url = {https://iej.org.za/press-room/statements/ubic-statement-election-scorecard-prompts-positive-responses-and-policy-commitments/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }