UBIC submission to SAHRC food inquiry

This submission by the Universal Basic Income Coalition (UBIC) to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) argues that food insecurity in South Africa is primarily driven by income poverty and unemployment rather than food scarcity. The document highlights critical gaps in the current social assistance framework, including the inadequacy of grant values relative to food inflation and systemic barriers to access. UBIC proposes transforming the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant into a universal, unconditional, and redistributive basic income for all adults aged 18-59 to immediately mitigate hunger, while calling for long-term structural reforms inS in the food system and an end to fiscal austerity.

• Food insecurity in South Africa is primarily a result of income poverty and lack of land access rather than a lack of food production. While the country is food secure at a national level, 66.7% of the population (40.8 million people) live below the upper-bound poverty line (UBPL), and 17.6% (10.8 million) live below the food poverty line (FPL).
• The real value of existing social grants has declined relative to the cost of food, reducing their effectiveness in preventingSSSS. In 2026, the Child Support Grant (CSG) at R560 is 35% below the FPL and 40% below the cost of feeding a child. Similarly, the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant of R370 represents only 43% of the FPL, down from 60% at its inception.
• Systemic barriers and strict verification regimes lead to significant exclusion from social assistance. Approximately 90% of people excluded from the SRD grant are estimated to be eligible and in need. Barriers include a requirement for online-only applications—despite 17.9% of South Africans lacking internet access—and inaccurate automated bank and government database checks.
• Recent 'social grant reviews' mandated by the National Treasury have led to the suspension of 70,000 grants in the current financial year. These reviews often result in suspensions due to 'failure to review' caused by SASSA system failures rather than actual ineligibility. The National Treasury projects further savings of R2 billion over the next year through these measures.
• Women andය are disproportionately affected by food insecurity and social grant limitations. Households headed by women experienced moderate to severe food insecurity at a rate of 21.5% in 2023, compared to 18.4% for those headed by men. This is attributed to the lack of permanent assistance for caregivers and the tendency for female recipients to share grants with other household members.
• UBIC proposes a Universal Basic Income (UBI) for all adults aged 18-59, starting at the FPL and progressively increasing to the UBPL. This proposal emphasizes that the grant should be universal, unconditional, individual-based (rather than household-based), and funded through progressive taxation rather than cuts to other public services.
• The document argues that the dominant paradigm of fiscal austerity driven by the National Treasury is directly responsible for increasing hunger and malnutrition. UBIC asserts that austerity is a policy choice that stifles growth and is incompatible with the constitutional advancement of socioeconomic rights.

APA

Institute for Economic Justice (n.d.). UBIC submission to SAHRC food inquiry. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/UBIC-submission-to-SAHRC-food-inquiry.pdf

Chicago

Institute for Economic Justice. UBIC submission to SAHRC food inquiry. n.d. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/UBIC-submission-to-SAHRC-food-inquiry.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Economic Justice |title=UBIC submission to SAHRC food inquiry |url=https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/UBIC-submission-to-SAHRC-food-inquiry.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforeconomicjusticendubic, author = {{Institute for Economic Justice}}, title = {{UBIC submission to SAHRC food inquiry}}, institution = {Institute for Economic Justice}, url = {https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/UBIC-submission-to-SAHRC-food-inquiry.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }