SOCIAL PROTECTION DURING COVID-19: THE RIGHTS TO SOCIAL SECURITY AND AN ADEQUATE STANDARD OF LIVING

This fact sheet, published by the Institute for Economic Justice, SECTION27, and the Center for Economic and Social Rights, examines South Africa's social protection systems during the COVID-19 pandemic. It evaluates the government's response against the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), highlighting failures in providing an adequate standard of living, food security, and housing, while detailing recommendations from the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

• The existing social grant system in South Africa is insufficient to ensure an adequate standard of living, as benefits are too low and there is no coverage for capable adults aged 18 to 59 with little or no income. Furthermore, the government lacks a composite cost-of-living index to benchmark benefit levels, and the real value of grants decreased in February 2021 because rand increases were lower than inflation.
• COVID-19 and associated lockdowns caused a dramatic increase in hunger and food insecurity in South Africa, reversing gains made since the Child Support Grant was introduced in 2000. In the May/June period, up to 47% of households reported having no money for food, with the Eastern Cape experiencing hunger levels described as typical of war zones.
• The pandemic exacerbated housing instability, with reports of illegal evictions and demolitions occurring despite a government moratorium. For example, demolitions took place in a Hout Bay informal settlement in June 2020. Additionally, temporary shelters for homeless people were reported as overcrowded and conducive to the spread of the virus.
• The economic impact of the pandemic was severe, with Statistics South Africa recording 1.4 million job losses in 2020, potentially erasing nearly a decade of job growth. This economic distress contributed to a mental health crisis; the NIDS-CRAM survey found that 24% of people screened positive for depressive symptoms in June 2020, compared to 12% in 2017.
• The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights recommended several measures to improve social protection, including raising the child support grant to at least the food poverty line, introducing a universal basic income grant, and expanding Unemployment Insurance Fund benefits to all workers regardless of status.
• Government responses to the pandemic were limited and delayed. While the COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant of R350 per month was introduced, it suffered from extensive payment delays and remained below the food poverty line. Furthermore, the government did not extend increases to other grants, disproportionately affecting women who are primary caregivers.

APA

Institute for Economic Justice (2021). SOCIAL PROTECTION DURING COVID-19: THE RIGHTS TO SOCIAL SECURITY AND AN ADEQUATE STANDARD OF LIVING. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IEJfactsheet-3-Social-Protection-during-COVID.pdf

Chicago

Institute for Economic Justice. SOCIAL PROTECTION DURING COVID-19: THE RIGHTS TO SOCIAL SECURITY AND AN ADEQUATE STANDARD OF LIVING. 2021. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IEJfactsheet-3-Social-Protection-during-COVID.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Economic Justice |title=SOCIAL PROTECTION DURING COVID-19: THE RIGHTS TO SOCIAL SECURITY AND AN ADEQUATE STANDARD OF LIVING |date=2021 |url=https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IEJfactsheet-3-Social-Protection-during-COVID.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforeconomicjustice2021social, author = {{Institute for Economic Justice}}, title = {{SOCIAL PROTECTION DURING COVID-19: THE RIGHTS TO SOCIAL SECURITY AND AN ADEQUATE STANDARD OF LIVING}}, institution = {Institute for Economic Justice}, year = {2021}, url = {https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IEJfactsheet-3-Social-Protection-during-COVID.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }