Call for relief grant to be extended
Party Secretary General, Canaan Mdletshe, said that even though they welcome President Cyril Ramaphosa's announcement last Tuesday, the NFP is of the view that the grant should be extended to help curb hunger
THE National Freedom Party (NFP) believes the government’s unemployment relief grant should be extended beyond the Covid-19 pandemic, since there will be no guarantee that the poor and unemployed will be able to secure jobs after the lockdown is lifted.
Party Secretary General, Canaan Mdletshe, said that even though they welcome President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement last Tuesday, the NFP is of the view that the grant should be extended to help curb hunger.
‘While the R350 allocation is way too little, as many unemployed people could spend roughly 80% of the grant for transport to towns rather than buying food, we must commend government for this initiative.
‘Looking at the unemployment statistics for South Africa, about 10 million eligible people are not employed. The majority of the unemployed are the youth and this calls for drastic intervention. That is why we are calling for the extension of the grant beyond the Covid-19 pandemic.
‘We firmly believe that a continuous payment of such a grant would go a long way in assisting job seekers to survive and ensure food security in many households,’ Mdletshe said.
Meanwhile, Forum4Service Delivery (F4SD) president, Mbahare Kekana, said they are displeased that essential workers were not included in the social relief system.
‘Essential service workers are risking their lives to serve the nation and should be supported.’
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