SASSA beneficiaries, the poor and unemployed can look forward to extra geld in their pay pakkie for the next six months after the government put forward moerse economic relief measures to help mitigate the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
On Tuesday night, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a R500 billion support package to stimulate the economy and protect millions of South Africans from hunger and social distress during the Coronavirus disaster.
Measures include R50bn to fund an increase in child support grants of an additional R300 next month and R500 per month from June to October.
All other grant beneficiaries will receive an additional R250 monthly, while a special Coronavirus grant of R350 per month would go to those who are unemployed and do not receive any other form of grant or UIF payment.
But people will have to wait for the Department of Social Development (DSD), who will administer the payouts.
The DSD will soon announce how people can apply for this funding, the president said.
In addition, the DSD, working with NGOs and community organisations, would distribute 250 000 food parcels in the next fortnight.
The economic response to the national disaster could be divided into three phases, Ramaphosa said.
The first would be measures to mitigate the worst effects of the pandemic on business and individuals; second to stabilise the economy with a massive social relief and economic support package, and finally, to “reboot” the economy as the country emerges from this disaster.
Ramaphosa said the R500bn rescue package was made up of R130bn from the current budget with the balance to be raised from local sources as well as international partners and finance institutions, including the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and Brics Bank.
Because the lockdown had led to the loss of jobs, R100bn was being set aside to protect jobs, with R40bn for income support payments for those whose employers could not pay their wages.
R2bn was going to assist SMEs and spaza shop owners.
Today, the president will address the nation again, and South Africans can expect to hear more about measures beyond the 35-day lockdown, set to end on 30 April.
Ramaphosa said a phased approach would be used to end the lockdown as balance was needed to prevent a massive resurgence of the disease.
RESCUE: Ramaphosa
The R550 billion relief package is allocated to the following categories:
R20 bn - to fund the health response to Coronavirus including personal protective equipment for health workers, community screening, increased testing capacity, additional beds in field hospitals, ventilators, medicine and staffing.
R20 bn - municipalities to provide emergency water supply, increased sanitisation of public transport and facilities as well as food and shelter for the homeless.
R50 bn - social relief for the most vulnerable families, temporary six-month Coronavirus grant and special Covid-19 social relief of distress grant.
R100 bn - to protect and create jobs.
R40 bn - income support payments for workers.
R2 bn - to assist Small Medium and Micro Enterprises, spaza shop owners and other small businesses.
R200 bn - loan guarantee scheme in partnership with major banks, the National Treasury and the SA Reserve Bank to cover companies with operational costs.
R80 bn - In the real economy from repo rate cut by 200 basis points.
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