DA Leader John Steenhuisen Promises Residents Living in Poverty Better Grants During Freedom Day Celebrations
- Leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA) John Steenhuisen told residents from Eastern Cape that the party will not discontinue grants
- Steenhuisen said that the DA will pay grants that are higher and more efficiently because there will be more money to assist citizens
- He added that the political party understands the difficulty that people living in poverty face on a daily basis
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EASTERN CAPE - The leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA) John Steenhuisen told a crowd of people in Umzimvubu, Eastern Cape that his party will not “take away” their social grants during his Freedom Day address on Wednesday.
He said that the political party will pay grants that are higher and more efficiently. During his speech, Steenhuisen said that if money is not stolen from government there will be more to assist South Africans.
Source: Getty Images
Steenhuisen said that the political party understands the difficulty that people living in poverty face, TimesLIVE reported. He said that the social grants have been a saving grace to most residents.
According to Steenhuisen the cost of living has increased while the grants have not. He also said that people are struggling to feed their families because the grant does not allow them to cover all expenses.
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President Cyril Ramaphosa said the grant assists more than 10-million people who were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, according to SowetanLIVE.
South Africans react to Steenhuisen comments
@ct_shark commented:
“We need to get out of this welfare state mentality. But he's not wrong either.”
@messydj330 wrote:
“And there be more jobs and clean working road and a working health system and a whole lot more working things.”
@Nkosikh27183174 posted:
“He's also advocating for a charity state. What happened to governments creating jobs for citizens? We cannot be a nation of beggars, able-bodied people must work. Period.”
@mbdwenpr said:
“Same DA who said Julius is promising the impossible? How is that possible that the state will afford more now under them?”
@treehugger_7704 added:
“Going to lose so many voters saying that. SA cannot afford to be a welfare state. Our tax base is too small.”
More than 10 million beneficiaries of Sassa’s R350 social grant already paid, social media users slam claims
Briefly News also reported recipients of the R350 social relief of distress grants who use the ‘cash send’ payment method have been paid, according to the SA Social Security Agency (Sassa). Sassa spokesperson Paseka Letsatsi said that payments have been issued through bank accounts and the post office.
This comes after Letsatsi said almost 1.5 million people who used the cash send payment option last year were not paid out. According to Letsatsi, every client who used the cash send option received SMS notifications alerting them of other options.
He said that most people who provided their bank account numbers and those who did not include bank details were paid via the post office. Of the 10.6 million beneficiaries approved, 42% were paid through post offices and 58% via their bank accounts, TimesLIVE reported. He reminded those who use the ‘cash send’ option to ensure their cellphone numbers are registered to obtain the funds.
Source: Briefly News
