ActionSA won’t scrap social grants, Mashaba promises
Herman Mashaba’s ActionSA says if elected it will not scrap government social grants as it introduces a “universal basic income stimulus” of R790 a month, rising to more than R1,600 in the third year.
Presenting the party’s manifesto in Johannesburg yesterday, Mashaba promised to rescue the country’s economy by creating what he called an “opportunity fund”.
“We acknowledge that seeking employment or building a business costs money. For this reason, we will introduce a universal basic income stimulus (UBIS) to alleviate poverty and support citizens’ participation in the economy. We will provide cash payments to all South Africans who register to receive the UBIS to invest in their economic empowerment and stimulate economic growth,” Mashaba said.
“The universal basic income stimulus grant will be provided to all adult South Africans and permanent residents who register as UBIS recipients. The UBIS, which is linked to poverty bands, will initially be paid for a period of three years through monthly cash transfers consisting of R790 in the first year, R1,101 in the second year and R1,622 in the third year. This will increase the growth of South Africa’s economy by at least two additional percentage points measured against projected GDP growth and create an additional 1.6-million jobs.”
The manifesto says ActionSA will work towards eliminating broad reliance on social grants through the achievement of economic prosperity and justice for all.
“However, we will increase existing social grants alongside the introduction of the UBIS to protect the most vulnerable in society from the effects of poverty. We will additionally improve the fair and timely distribution of social grants by implementing prioritised institutional reform programmes at the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) to eliminate corruption, bureaucratic inefficiencies, and to improve access to social grants.”
Mashaba said the opportunity fund would be used to invest in programmes that promote the empowerment of black, coloured, Indian and Asian South Africans who remain disadvantaged. The party, which is a member of the multiparty charter that aims to topple the ANC in the elections, says it believes foreign investment and international trade are crucial to the growth of the economy.
“We will reform the Protection of Investment Act of 2015 to reduce bureaucratic barriers and remove excessive limitations on foreign direct investment. We will support South African industries to increase the profits gained from our exports. These industries will include manufacturing, green energy, cannabis, aviation fuel, mining and agriculture.”
The party says it does not believe in the luxuries afforded to politicians.
“We will reduce the government’s expenditure on VIP protection and reallocate these funds towards crime prevention and visible policing.”
ActionSA wants to clamp down on illegal immigration and secure the country’s borders. “Increasing control over our borders ensures that all goods and people entering South Africa do so lawfully. We will improve the surveillance and management of our country’s borders by deploying the Border Management Authority to reduce crime and harmful illegal trade in South Africa.
“We will improve deportation processes related to foreign nationals found guilty of committing crimes in South Africa, as well as undocumented foreign nationals who cannot prove that they have a legitimate claim to residency or asylum.”