UBIC comment on proposed amendments to the Regulations relating to the COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress

The Universal Basic Income Coalition (UBIC) submitted comments on April 14, 2025, regarding proposed amendments to the COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant regulations. UBIC argues that the amendments fail to address systemic barriers to access, ignore a January 2025 Gauteng High Court ruling on the unlawful nature of current exclusionary provisions, and maintain a grant value and means test that are significantly below the food poverty line.

• UBIC contends that the publication of the proposed amendments was delayed, appearing only one week before existing regulations expired and providing a three-week window for comment. This delay created uncertainty for beneficiaries and may have resulted in a failure to process new applications during April and May, as the proposed amendments allow for the use of historical data to determine eligibility during those months.
• The current SRD grant value and means test thresholds are described as static and eroded by inflation. The grant value of R370 is equivalent to R290 in 2020 Rands and is less than half of the current food poverty line of R796. The means test threshold of R624 is also below the food poverty line, which UBIC claims excludes a large subset of people in food poverty.
• UBIC highlights that the Gauteng High Court ruled in January 2025 that the failure to adjust the grant value and means test for inflation was an unlawful retrogression of constitutional rights, and that other exclusionary provisions were unlawful and invalid. However, the state has chosen to appeal this order rather than rectify the issues.
• The coalition criticizes the proposed deletion of sub-regulation 3 (b), which allows the Department to use application questionnaire responses to determine eligibility. UBIC argues that if this is deleted, the collection of sensitive personal data via the questionnaire becomes baseless and 'ultra vires', as it cannot be used for eligibility. They further argue that the system should rely on self-declarations rather than invasive bank and database checks.
• UBIC opposes the practice of annual piecemeal extensions of the SRD grant, such as the proposed shift of the end date from 2025 to 2026. They demand that the grant be made permanent or replaced by a comprehensive basic income programme, aligning the regulations with the stated policy of the President.

APA

Institute for Economic Justice (2025). UBIC comment on proposed amendments to the Regulations relating to the COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/UBIC-Submission-Draft-SRD-Regulations.pdf

Chicago

Institute for Economic Justice. UBIC comment on proposed amendments to the Regulations relating to the COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress. 2025. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/UBIC-Submission-Draft-SRD-Regulations.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Institute for Economic Justice |title=UBIC comment on proposed amendments to the Regulations relating to the COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress |date=14 April 2025 |url=https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/UBIC-Submission-Draft-SRD-Regulations.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{instituteforeconomicjustice2025ubic, author = {{Institute for Economic Justice}}, title = {{UBIC comment on proposed amendments to the Regulations relating to the COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress}}, publisher = {Institute for Economic Justice}, year = {2025}, month = apr, url = {https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/UBIC-Submission-Draft-SRD-Regulations.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }