Should the COVID-19 lockdown social relief of distress grant be made permanent?
Date
2022-01
Authors
Mathebula, Jabulane
Fish, Tebogo
Masvaure, Steve
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
CLEAR-AA
Abstract
Description
Across the world, social protection programmes are
designed and implemented to protect populations
in distress or crisis from falling further into poverty.
Currently, South Africa has one of the highest rates
of income inequality (Gini coeffi cient of 0.65), unemployment and poverty in the world, and social protection programmes have been used by the state as a
mechanism of wealth redistribution.
To give some context, between 2011 and 2015,
poverty levels in South Africa have deepened (Statistics South Africa 2015). One in four South Africans live
below the food poverty line, and the Poverty Trends Report (Schotte et al 2018) fi nds that more than one
in every two South Africans has fallen below the
upper bound poverty line.
Keywords
covid19, Evaluation