UBIC submission: SRD amendments a missed opportunity to fix broken system

The Universal Basic Income Coalition (UBIC) argues that proposed amendments to the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) Grant regulations are insufficient and ignore a High Court ruling declaring key elements unconstitutional. UBIC highlights that the grant value of R370 remains below half the food poverty line (R796) and that the means test threshold of R624 continues to exclude needy applicants. The submission criticizes the short three-week public consultation window and the persistence of digital and linguistic barriers, urging the government to replace piecemeal annual extensions with a permanent, inclusive universal basic income grant to support 9 million food-insecure people.

• The proposed amendments to the SRD grant fail to address systemic barriers and the inadequacy of the grant's value relative to the cost of living. The grant amount of R370 is less than half of the R796 food poverty line, and the means test excludes anyone with more than R624 in their bank account.
• The government has allegedly ignored a High Court ruling that found key parts of the SRD regulations to be unconstitutional and exclusionary, choosing instead to use public resources to contest the ruling.
• The process for amending the regulations was characterized by a lack of meaningful consultation, with the amendments released only one week before current regulations expired and a public input window of only three weeks.
• UBIC advocates for the replacement of the current piecemeal, annual extension system with a permanent, constitutionally-compliant universal basic income grant to provide security for 9 million food-insecure individuals.

APA

Institute for Economic Justice (2025). UBIC submission: SRD amendments a missed opportunity to fix broken system. https://iej.org.za/press-room/statements/ubic-submission-srd-amendments-a-missed-opportunity-to-fix-broken-system/

Chicago

Institute for Economic Justice. UBIC submission: SRD amendments a missed opportunity to fix broken system. 2025. https://iej.org.za/press-room/statements/ubic-submission-srd-amendments-a-missed-opportunity-to-fix-broken-system/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Institute for Economic Justice |title=UBIC submission: SRD amendments a missed opportunity to fix broken system |date=16 April 2025 |url=https://iej.org.za/press-room/statements/ubic-submission-srd-amendments-a-missed-opportunity-to-fix-broken-system/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{instituteforeconomicjustice2025ubic, author = {{Institute for Economic Justice}}, title = {{UBIC submission: SRD amendments a missed opportunity to fix broken system}}, publisher = {Institute for Economic Justice}, year = {2025}, month = apr, url = {https://iej.org.za/press-room/statements/ubic-submission-srd-amendments-a-missed-opportunity-to-fix-broken-system/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }