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The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) submitted a report on 28 October 2022 urging the South African government to shift its fiscal framework from a narrow focus on debt stabilisation and primary budget surpluses toward targeting unemployment, poverty, and inequality. The IEJ argues that current austerity measures are causing a regression in the realisation of socio-economic human rights, specifically within education, healthcare, and social security, and proposes a transition to progressive taxation to fund public services and a permanent basic income support system.

An open letter dated 24 October 2024, signed by a coalition of civil society, labour organisations, and policy experts, addressed to President Cyril Ramaphosa. The letter expresses concern that the National Treasury is exercising disproportionate influence over social development policy, specifically by obstructing the transition of the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant into a permanent basic income system.

An open letter from over 75 economists and analysts to President Cyril Ramaphosa and the South African Cabinet arguing that government economic interventions to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 are insufficient in scale and speed compared to global responses.

This research paper finds that approximately half of the target population for South Africa's Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant is excluded, with an average of 76% of those excluded being eligible. The study identifies that rapid digitalization and automation, lacking transparency and oversight, create systemic barriers to application, verification, payment, and appeal. These barriers disproportionately affect those already marginalized by digital, financial, and spatial inequalities, leading to severe hardship and hunger.

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) and #PayTheGrants (#PTG), through the Socio-Economic Rights Institute (SERI), filed a court case in the North Gauteng High Court on 21 July 2023. The legal challenge targets regulations and implementation of the R350 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant, which the applicants argue unlawfully exclude millions of people in poverty and violate constitutional rights to social assistance and food.

This briefing by the Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) and #PayTheGrants (#PTG) outlines a legal challenge against the regulations governing South Africa's Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant. The applicants argue that the grant's eligibility criteria, application processes, and monetary value are unlawful, irrational, and violate the constitutional right to social assistance, resulting in the exclusion of approximately half of the intended beneficiaries.

This document is a summary of the 2024 Global Energy Transition Outlook own the energy transition transitionSSSSSS a comprehensive analysis of the energy transition_2024.pdf

The Unconditional Basic Income Coalition (UBIC) issued a statement on 1 May 2026 calling for the resignation or removal of South Africa's Minister of Social Development, Nokuzola Sisisi Tolashe, following allegations of financial misconduct and governance failures.

This policy brief by the Institute for Economic Justice examines the intersection between unpaid care work and gender-based violence (GBV) in Brazil and South Africa. It argues that economic crises and austerity measures exacerbate the 'crisis of care', increasing women's vulnerability to violence. The document proposes a multi-pronged approach including universal basic income, gender-responsive budgeting, and intersectional data collection to empower women economically and reduce GBV.

This briefing note by the Universal Basic Income Coalition (UBIC) analyses new conditions imposed by the South African National Treasury on the 2025/26 operating budget of the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA). The document argues that extending verification procedures used for the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant—such as bank surveillance, database cross-checks, and biometric profiling—to longer-standing grants will lead to the erroneous exclusion of millions of eligible vulnerable people, including children, seniors, and persons with disabilities.

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.