Why South Africa needs broad-based BEE

We are now 13 odd years into our new South Africa.  And we are making progress, although at times I find myself frustrated with the government and where South Africa is going.  I was doing some research into a gender empowerment article and I came across a website that listed some of the legislation passed […]

John Kane-Berman provided an interesting statistic in his Business Day piece, on “discouraged workers” — those out of work and available for work, but making no effort to find work. Their number has grown from 2,2-million in 2000 to 3,7-million in 2006.  All of these people will probably qualify for the basic income grant (BIG). 

Hilary Joffe wrote a very balanced opinion on Skweyiya’s basic income grant (BIG) in today’s Business Day.  She offers a few interesting stats on welfare. 18% of total government spending is spent on welfare, Nearly 11-million South Africans now receive pensions, disability, child support or foster-care grants. The spend amounts to R62bn, representing more than

Zola Skweyiya, social development minister, expressed support for the idea of a basic income grant to assist the estimated 23-million people living in desperate poverty in the country.  So the Business Day reported on Friday.  This comes on the back of government’s forecasts of a budget surplus in coming years.  In other words, SARS continues