Julius Malema Calls for an Increase of R350 SDR Grant, Says It Needs to Be Permanent

Julius Malema Calls for an Increase of R350 SDR Grant, Says It Needs to Be Permanent

  • Julius Malema recently spoke out about the Social Relief of Distress Grant of R350 that will soon be in the hands of many South Africans
  • Malema requested that the grant be extended and a higher amount be given out as it the grant is reminiscent of the sub-par food parcels handed out by the Government
  • The local government elections are slowly creeping in and Malema is reportedly not concerned about how the extension of the grant will impact his party

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The leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters, Julius Malema, stated that the Social Relief of Distress Grant of R350 is a mere 'food parcel'. Malema stated that the party is keeping a close eye on the extension of the grant, which, he added, will be given out just before the government elections.

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Malema explained his viewpoint that limiting the money to a certain time period is but another food parcel programme that has been set out by Government. The Red Berets leader stated that the grant should not only be made permanent but the amount needs to be increased.

The R350 which is being given out needs to be a respectable amount that has a meaningful impact, according to Malema. He also called for a basic income grant.

Julius Malema, calls, permanent, increase, Social Relief of Distress grant, Cyril Ramaphosa
Julius Malema has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to increase and make permanent the R350 social grant. Image: Waldo Swiegers/ Bloomberg
Source: Getty Images

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According to TimesLIVE, the EFF was more concerned about the timing of the grant over the fact that it may impact the party's votes and performance at the upcoming municipal elections. The EFF was also one of the first political parties in the country to request a postponement of the local government elections.

A report by IOL stated that Malema is happy about the grant's implementation but remains observant. The publication confirmed that the head of the Red Berets would prefer it if the grant was higher and extended.

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Malema impartial to Defence Minister Mapisa-Nqakula’s about-turn

In recent similar news, Briefly News reported that Malema had a short but hilarious response to a video of Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula that is doing the rounds on social media.

This is after a high-profile member of the party's Central Command Team and its former national spokesperson, Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, went on a short rant by poking holes in the government's apparent abrasiveness to last week's unrest.

"It doesn’t matter what they call it, question is: Did government through intelligance [sic] agencies know what was being planned? If they knew and did nothing, then they have aided the riots and are directly responsible for deaths of over 200 people," a tweet by Ndlozi read in part.

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Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Reeshni Chetty avatar

Reeshni Chetty Reeshni Chetty is a senior current affairs reporter. The Damelin journalism and media studies graduate was top of her class with 16 distinctions and she boasts experience in radio, print and digital media. When Reeshni is not rushing to bring you the most important and breaking news in current affairs, she's raising awareness around mental health. Reeshni has a passion for breaking the stigma surrounding mental health issues.