ANC Commits to Basic Income Grant 2 Years After Winning Upcoming Elections

• The African National Congress has promised to implement a basic income grant when they win the upcoming elections
• The party acknowledged that the Basic Income Grant, or BIG, would replace the Social Relief of Distress Fund
• South Africans laughed at the ANC for the assertion that they would win the elections

Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist in Johannesburg, South Africa, has covered policy changes, the State of the Nation Address, politician-related news and elections at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News for over seven years.

JOHANNESBURG—The African National Congress, certain to win the upcoming general elections, promised to implement a basic income grant to help the unemployed.

ANC promises a basic income grant

According to SowetanLIVE, the ruling party is optimistic that it will still be in government after the country heads to the polls on 29 May. It has promised to provide a policy on the BIG within two years of a new administration. The party said the grant would be funded by introducing new tax measures, such as a social security tax, and moving existing resources around to accommodate the basic income grant.

Read also

From healthcare to justice system: Briefly News readers redesign presidency for a day

The government also said the BIG would be modelled after the Social Relief of Distress grant, which has been criticized for years. The grant aims to lessen the impact of poverty on job seekers and caregivers.

Netizens ignore the promise, laugh at ANC

South Africans on Facebook were stuck on the ANC's assertion that it would win the upcoming elections.

Andrew Botha said:

"These guys would commit to reducing the term of pregnancy to three months to get votes."

Shockwave Anderson said:

"We don't need grants. We need job creation so that people will contribute to economic growth."

Zandisile Molosi said:

"They are getting closer to the truth of confessing that they have nothing to offer, and we would have to wait 24 months to get what we are going to vote for now. In other words, they are running out of ideas."

Read also

Emalahleni residents threaten not to vote because of no electricity

Sipho Ncele said:

"This is what they know."

Buxx Buti said:

"Two years? No."

Emalahleni residents threaten to abstain from voting because of no service delivery

In a similar article, Briefly News reported that residents of the Siyanqoba settlement in Emalahleni have been without electricity.

They took to the streets to protest and threatened not to vote if they did not get electricity and water.

Source: Briefly News