On Monday 13 July 2020, the Minister of Social Development, Lindiwe Zulu, unexpectedly let a BIG cat out of the bag when she announced that a Basic Income Grant (BIG) could be introduced for unemployed working age South Africans. The next day the Minister walked back from this announcement, clarifying that this is only an idea under discussion.
Funding the Basic Unemployment Grant is simply about policy priorities and political will. COVID-19 is a national disaster, and so is unemployment. Growing the economy and creating jobs is the ideal response, but more challenging now than ever. In the meantime, tightening up government spending and redirecting public resources towards supporting the unemployed is not only socially desirable, it should be a national priority.
