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

The Universal Basic Income Coalition (UBIC) argues that proposed amendments to the COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant regulations in South Africa are insufficient and fail to address long-standing exclusionary barriers. UBIC highlights that the late publication of amendments created uncertainty for beneficiaries and that the current system continues to exclude millions through digital barriers, restrictive means-tests, and a failure to adjust grant values for inflation. The coalition specifically criticizes the proposed deletion of sub-regulation 3(b), which may render the collection of certain applicant data baseless, and calls for the grant to be transitioned into a permanent basic income programme rather than continuing annual piecemeal extensions.

• The late publication of proposed amendments, released only one week before existing regulations expired, limited public consultation and caused distress and uncertainty for beneficiaries relying on the SRD grant for basic food costs.
• The SRD grant regulations contain systemic flaws that unconstitutionally exclude millions of eligible people, including the use of an English-only online application platform, restrictive means-tests, and inaccurate bank and database verification methods.
• The grant value of R370 and the means test threshold of R624 have not been adjusted for inflation, leaving them significantly below the current food poverty line of R796; the Gauteng High Court ruled in January 2025 that this failure constitutes an unlawful retrogression of constitutional rights.
• The proposed deletion of sub-regulation 3(b) removes the basis for using application questionnaire responses to determine eligibility, potentially making the collection of sensitive personal data for 'research purposes' baseless and ultra vires.
• UBIC opposes the practice of annual piecemeal extensions of the grant (such as the proposed shift of the end date from 2025 to 2026) and advocates for the SRD grant to be made permanent or replaced by a comprehensive basic income programme.

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} }