The African National Congress (ANC) says it has requested Parliament’s Economic Portfolio Committee to look at the feasibility of introducing a basic income grant.
Calls have been mounting for the current temporary R350 social relief grant to be made permanent.
Briefing the media at Luthuli House in Johannesburg on the outcomes of the party’s National Executive Council meeting at the weekend, ANC Secretary-General Ace Magashule said they were looking at public input.
“To allow our structure and the society as a whole to make input in terms of how they think and what they think and how they feel in terms of implementing basic income grant, which has been a debate for many years by the ANC and its alliance partners. I’m sure we are arguing that it is time to implement it and that’s why the concept of R350 but more details will be given, but we are calling for the public to make inputs,” says Magashule.
In the video below, SASSA gives an update on the social relief grant process:
VBS Mutual Bank looting scandal
Magashule also spoke on the VBS Mutual Bank scandal, confirming the lifting of the suspension of the party’s Limpopo Provincial Treasurer Danny Msiza and former Vhembe mayor Florence Radzilani.
He said the NEC reversed the Integrity committee’s decision to suspended them as the duo has not been charged.
“The National Executive Committee has the right to decide, that is what the NEC said, these comrades have not been charged by anybody. These comrades in terms of the allegations they were mentioned in several reports like many comrades who were mentioned in reports, you can’t charge people because of allegations and therefore that’s why we said that after almost two years, these comrades must come back,” says Magashule.
SABC retrenchments
Magashule said the party is against the planned retrenchments at the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and other state enterprises.
“We don’t want people to lose their jobs that is our bottom line and I think we are encouraging all our state entities, we are encouraging including the public sector, we are encouraging SABC. Imagine the SABC retrenching 600 people during this COVID, what is going to happen to the lives of these people, what is going to happen to their houses, what is going to happen to their cars, what is going to happen to their children, these are people who are breadwinners, you might be a journalist but you are part of society and that is the position we are actually pushing,” says Magashule.
600 employees may be retrenched at the SABC. pic.twitter.com/LDUdWYHBPD
— Sebenzile Nkambule (@SebeNkambule) June 18, 2020
