Author: Ground Up
By Vuyisiwe Mahafu The possibility that a Universal Basic Income Guarantee (UBIG) could be introduced in South Africa has sparked a lot of debate over the last two years. Its advocates say this grant could address our extremely high rates of poverty and ensure that all people have an adequate standard of living. Its detractors say it would bankrupt the country. In this three-part series from the Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ), we cover the basics of a basic income grant. In our first article, we gave an overview of what a universal basic income guarantee is and what transformative potential it could have.…
By Tania Broughton The High Court has ruled that the exploration rights granted to Impact Africa and Shell along the Wild Coast were unlawful. The judges said there was “no meaningful consultation” with interested and affected parties prior to the award of the right. The Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy had also failed to take into account factors such as community cultural rights and environmental harm. The Eastern Cape High Court has ruled that the exploration rights granted by the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Affairs to Impact Africa and Shell were unlawful – putting an end to any…
By Carilee Osborne South Africa is one of the most unequal countries in the world, with extremely high rates of poverty and unemployment. Large numbers of people are excluded from the economy without the means to ensure that their basic needs are met. Recently there has been a lot of debate about the introduction of a Universal Basic Income Guarantee (UBIG) in South Africa and its potential to address poverty and ensure that all people have an adequate standard of living. But what the introduction of a basic income grant means and what it looks like is not always clear. In this three-part…
By Marecia Damons Delays with the R350 Social Relief of Distress grant payments are expected in August, says SASSA Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu gazetted new regulations raising the income threshold for the means test from R350 to R624 per month. The department had proposed that the “Covid” grant continues while legislative matters are ironed out for a basic income support. Beneficiaries of the R350 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant may face delays with their August payment after new regulations for the grant were implemented. Earlier this month, Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu gazetted changes to the regulations of the R350 grant.…
By Raymond Joseph Embattled National Lotteries Commission chief operations officer Phillemon Letwaba has resigned with immediate effect, just weeks before he was due to appear before a disciplinary hearing to answer charges of abusing his position to enrich himself and his family. The board of the NLC is yet to accept Letwaba’s sudden resignation. “The National Lotteries Commission would like to place on the record that the Chief Operations Officer of the NLC, Mr. Phillemon Letwaba has expressed his wish to resign from the NLC with immediate effect. The matter is under the consideration of the board and the Acting Commissioner,”…
By James Stent and Nathan Geffen Between 11 and 13 August, the hashtag #KnowYourNationalLottery trended to the number one position on Twitter in South Africa. How? There was nothing in the news that suggested this hashtag should trend. When we looked at the tweets, many, perhaps most, appeared to be recycling very similar text, espousing the benefits to society of buying lottery tickets. These included, for example, that lottery money goes to good causes and that spaza shops receive commission for the sales they make and that this was a good way to spend R5. The tweets, while seldom precisely identical to each…
By Tania Broughton The Constitutional Court has ruled that a section of the Legal Practice Act that only allows South African citizens or permanent residents to be admitted as lawyers is constitutional. Foreign law graduates who have lived, studied and completed articles and pupilage in South Africa do not qualify. The court said non-citizens have no rights under Section 22 of the Constitution which entrenches the rights of citizens to choose their trade occupation and profession. In a blow to foreign law graduates who have lived, studied and completed articles and pupilage in South Africa, the Constitutional Court has ruled that…
By Neil Thomas Stacey South Africa has committed to setting up hydrogen technology to move away from fossil fuels like coal and oil. Depending on how it is produced, hydrogen can eliminate carbon dioxide emissions. But new research has found that leaked hydrogen produces indirect “greenhouse gas” effects on a scale far higher than previously thought. Hydrogen leakages are inevitable, and they become more likely as we use hydrogen in smaller applications. This means we should be very selective about how we make and use hydrogen. South Africa has announced sweeping plans to develop its hydrogen industry, positioning itself to become…
By Geoffrey Allsop The Equality Court has ordered a number of people to apologise to the Chinese community and to pay R50,000 to a Chinese old age home. Comments posted on the Facebook pages of Carte Blanche TV programme and the Karoo Donkey Sanctuary were found to be hate speech. The Chinese Association of Gauteng identified 12 people who had made discriminatory statements and brought the case to the Equality Court. On 28 June, the Gauteng High Court (sitting as the Equality Court) found that comments made about Chinese people on Facebook constitute hate speech in terms of the Promotion of…
National Lotteries Commission COO Phillemon Letwaba has gone to court to have a forensic report into Lottery corruption declared illegal. This is the second attempt to stop a probe into alleged Lottery corruption. Letwaba claims that Abel Dlamini, the executive chairman of SkX protiviti, is biased and has a conflict of interest. SkX was commissioned by the Lottery to probe internal corruption. In the court application, Letwaba said that the non-profit company in which Dlamini’s apparent relatives are listed as directors, received an almost R15-million grant from the Lottery soon after SkX was appointed. He is concerned that “the conspectus of…