The Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature has unanimously supported a motion from the Democratic Alliance (DA) to increase assistance in the form of the number of people accessing food from community nutrition and development centres. This was after it came to light that 77% of residents in the province rely on social grants for survival.
The recent stats SA General Household Survey has shockingly revealed that 77% of Mpumalanga residents are currently relying on social grants for survival. The survey further revealed that a further 14.7% of Mpumalanga residents benefit from the COVID-19 Distress Grant.
In a Legislature Sitting this week, the DA proposed that the provincial government need to create a conducive environment for business to thrive and create jobs so that our people can work for their own money and keep their dignity in place.
We also proposed that the department of Social Development must revisit their outreach programmes and increase assistance in the form of the number of people accessing food from community nutrition and development centres. The Legislature adopted our motion and proposals.
The social grant system is deemed essential to protect the poor from unemployment and economic instability, but more sustainable solutions are required to revive the provincial economy and create more jobs.
The above statistics are gravely concerning, especially considering the cost-of-living crisis which has seriously affected households that rely solely on social grants as a source of income.
This situation will be worse considering the related increases in most basic food basket items like vegetables, fruit, processed and unprocessed foods, bread and cereals, and sugar; this is because of the 5,6% increase on the July 2023 Consumer Price Index (CPI) for July 2023.