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

The document argues that South Africa's social protection systems are inadequate to ensure a dignified standard of living, a crisis exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. It highlights the gap between the recommendations of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (UNCESCR) and the government's actual responses, noting that budget cuts and 'fiscal consolidation' threaten the realization of rights to food, housing, and social security.

• The existing social grant system in South Africa fails to provide an adequate standard of living because benefit levels are too low, there is no composite cost-of-living index for benchmarking, and adults aged 18-59 who are capable of working lack coverage.
• COVID-19 significantly increased poverty and mental health burdens in South Africa, with 1.4 million jobs lost in 2020 and a doubling of positive screenings for depressive symptoms from 12% in 2017 to 24% in June 2020.
• Food insecurity rose dramatically during the pandemic; in the May/June period, up to 47% of households reported having no money for food, and those experiencing daily hunger showed the highest rates of depressive symptoms at 44%.
• Housing rights were violated during the pandemic through illegal evictions and demolitions despite a government moratorium, including a June 2020 demolition in an informal settlement in Hout Bay, Cape Town.
• The government's COVID-19 social responses were limited and delayed, including a Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant of R350 per month that was below the food poverty line and suffered from extensive payment delays.
• The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights recommended that South Africa introduce a universal basic income grant, raise the child support grant to at least the food poverty line, and expand Unemployment Insurance Fund benefits to all workers.
• National Treasury officials attributed the erosion of the real value of social grants to 'fiscal consolidation' and the need to stabilize the debt situation, while Minister Mboweni stated there is 'no social contract' to guarantee annual grant increases.

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} }