Only job seekers should get R350
DA election manifesto pledges to scrap B-BBEE and remove racial quotas from labour laws
● Should the DA win the upcoming elections, recipients of the R350 social relief of distress (SRD) grant will have to prove they are actively looking for work.
The DA plans to convert the much-talkedabout SRD grants into evidence-based job seekers’ grants, meaning that those receiving them will be required to prove they are actively looking for employment.
This is one of a raft of policy proposals contained in the blue party’s 2024 election manifesto, which it plans to implement should it take power after the elections.
The official opposition also plans to raise the child support grant from R510 to R760, which it says would bring the amount up to the “official food poverty line”— at an additional cost of R39.6bn if implemented in the next financial year.
“This proposal is possible if the government roots out corruption, cuts waste and generates savings,” the DA said in its “Rescue plan for SA” blueprint.
The party — which governs the Western Cape, several municipalities in that province, as well as the country’s capital city, Tshwane, where it launched its election manifesto on Saturday — suggested that people should not be able to receive the monthly R350 SRD grant unless they could show they were actively looking for work.
“This would require recipients to actively seek work opportunities and provide evidence to the department of social development if they [wish to] continue receiving that grant. The grant’s continuation will only remain viable if there’s economic growth and sufficient tax revenue to fund it. The DA opposes any tax increases to fund this expenditure and will identity savings and spending efficiencies in the public services sector to accommodate this expenditure.”
DA head of policy Mathew Cuthbert said depending on the economy and revenue growth, the R350 grant would be increased to cover active job seekers’ transport costs.
“This policy is not in isolation but is part of the package to grow the economy and, as government revenue is raised through economic growth, the grant can be increased to ensure that transport costs are fully covered for active work seekers,” Cuthbert said.
The DA, led by John Steenhuisen, who unveiled the manifesto on the lawns of the Union Buildings, also plans to “scrap” broadbased BEE (B-BBEE) in all public procurement processes.
“The DA will replace the usage of B-BBEE with the internationally recognised sustainable development goals (SDGs). This model will reward businesses that contribute positively to SGDs, thereby removing race as the only quantifiable category for redress and development,” it said in its 55-page plan.
“This will be achieved by removing B-BBEE from all procurement legislation and replacing it with a points system which recognises businesses’ contributions to SDGs. Contributions made towards SDGs will directly address key drivers of poverty and inequality, which will ensure that the benefits of this policy reach only those who truly need it.”
The SDGs were set by the UN and seek to end poverty and hunger, prioritise the provision of good healthcare, make available affordable and clean energy, and generate decent work and economic growth.
The DA also intends to introduce huge changes to the country’s labour laws by “removing racial targets of quotas in the employment equity and preferential procurement acts”, using the SDGs as indicators instead.
Under a DA-led national government, trade unions would be required to pay a deposit to an “independent body” before they went on strike. “Any damage or destruction caused during [industrial unrest] should be reimbursed out of deposits paid by those undertaking strikes.”
The party is also “committing to no new taxes”, saying people were “already heavily overburdened by existing taxes”. However, it said there was a need to increase the pool of taxpayers, which could be done by beefing up the capacity of the South African Revenue Service (Sars) to fight tax fraud and collect unpaid taxes.
As part of its plan to create 2-million jobs, the party wants to amend the Labour Relations Act to exempt small, micro and medium enterprises from collective agreements reached by labour bargaining councils.
“[Collective agreements pose] a financial challenge for small businesses, as they struggle to match the economies of scale enjoyed by [their] larger counterparts. Additionally, these agreements frequently overlook the financial viability of smaller entities.”
The DA plans to end load-shedding by “unbundling and restructuring Eskom to establish an open electricity market”. It says it will move “Eskom away from power generation as far as possible while considering and assisting employees and communities who depend on [the state-owned power utility]”.
The remaining part of Eskom would be tasked only with transmission to a separate grid and market operator. The party also plans to reduce the high tariffs on the importation of renewable energy technologies.
A DA national government would lead to the emergence of “prosumers”. This means it would pay those who generate their own electricity and share the extra power with the national or municipal grid.
In terms of tackling crime and corruption, the DA would dissolve commercial crimefighting unit the Hawks and replace it with an anti-corruption commission set up in terms of chapter 9 of the constitution. This body would directly report to parliament, not a government department.
“This Scorpions 2.0 will be a new and improved version of the former independent crime-busting unit [that will only be able to be] shut down by a two-thirds majority vote in parliament.”
The party also plans to decentralise policing “by allowing capable provincial and metro governments to manage their own SAPS forces”, because “they can tailor policies and policing plans that are more appropriate to their specific needs, bringing security and safety closer to the communities they serve”.
The police top brass would be subjected to lifestyle audits to clamp down on “police corruption”.
To entrench the independence of the police watchdog, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate, the DA wants its executive director to be directly appointed by parliament through a procedure led by an independent panel. It also wants the police minister’s role in that process to be removed.