Taelo ya gore motho o swanetše go bontšha gore o tsoma mošomo ke molao o mobe

This fact sheet by the Institute for Economic Justice argues against the implementation of job-seeking requirements for social grants in South Africa, specifically opposing proposals to replace the Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant with a conditional grant for job seekers. The document asserts that unemployment in South Africa is structural rather than a result of a lack of effort, and that imposing conditions would be costly, unfair, and counterproductive to economic growth.

• Unemployment in South Africa is structural and caused by the economy's failure to create sufficient jobs, meaning job-seeking requirements will not address the root cause. The 'expanded definition' of unemployment is 42.6%, representing 12.38 million people, with 76.2% of those actively seeking work classified as 'long-term unemployed' (unemployed for over a year) as of Q2 2024.
• Job-seeking conditions are viewed as ineffective and potentially harmful, as they may lead to unintended negative outcomes such as reduced bargaining power for workers and lower wages across the economy. Evidence suggests these conditions often fail those who most need structural support, including women and youth.
• The cost of searching for work often exceeds the value of the social grants provided. For example, monthly job-seeking costs for youth can reach R1469, which is significantly higher than the R370 provided by the Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant.
• Imposing job-seeking requirements would unfairly penalize unpaid caregivers, predominantly women, who perform essential work that is not recognized by the economy. Forcing these individuals to seek formal employment could damage fragile community care networks.
• The document argues that social assistance is a constitutional right in South Africa under Section 27(1), and making it conditional on job-seeking behavior transforms a fundamental right into a discretionary privilege.
• The IEJ criticizes proposals from the World Bank, the National Treasury, and political parties like the Democratic Alliance (DA) and Mzansi Independent to replace the SRD grant with a conditional job-seeker's grant, arguing these proposals aim to reduce the number of grant recipients to cut costs.

APA

Institute for Economic Justice (2024). Taelo ya gore motho o swanetše go bontšha gore o tsoma mošomo ke molao o mobe. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IEJ-UBIG-Factsheet-9-Sepedi.pdf

Chicago

Institute for Economic Justice. Taelo ya gore motho o swanetše go bontšha gore o tsoma mošomo ke molao o mobe. 2024. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IEJ-UBIG-Factsheet-9-Sepedi.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Economic Justice |title=Taelo ya gore motho o swanetše go bontšha gore o tsoma mošomo ke molao o mobe |date=October 2024 |url=https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IEJ-UBIG-Factsheet-9-Sepedi.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforeconomicjustice2024taelo, author = {{Institute for Economic Justice}}, title = {{Taelo ya gore motho o swanetše go bontšha gore o tsoma mošomo ke molao o mobe}}, institution = {Institute for Economic Justice}, year = {2024}, month = oct, url = {https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IEJ-UBIG-Factsheet-9-Sepedi.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }