Patricia de Lille says government should cut costs for BIG

GOOD Party leader and founder Patricia De Lille says her party wants to increase the Basic Income Grant (BIG) from R350 to almost R1,000 to cushion many people.

She said the BIG aims to ensure that those living below the poverty line can meet their basic human needs while searching for employment and a longer-term path out of poverty.

‘A BIG OF R999 CAN BE IMPLEMENTED THROUGH COST-CUTTING’ – PATRICIA DE LILLE

“GOOD proposes, as a solution to existing poverty and to support the millions of unemployed people, that we need to implement a BIG of R999 per month,” said De Lille during the party’s election manifesto launch in Johannesburg on Saturday.

She said our country could afford a BIG increase, which can be implemented through allocative efficiency, restructuring government, professionalising the public service, cutting out corruption, and some tax reforms.

Last month, Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana announced during the National Budget Speech that the grant would increase to R370 at the beginning of April.

GOOD PARTY MANIFESTO TO REBALANCE SOCIETY

De Lille said the GOOD Party’s manifesto was to rebalance society. She said promises made by political parties won’t materialise after the May elections because the government structure was the same.

“The Good Manifesto is our recipe to rebalance society. The promises the parties make won’t materialise on 1 June 2024 because the government structure will be the same, the same structure that struggled to deliver to the nation’s satisfaction.”

“If we don’t change the structure, we will achieve no more than changing the positions of the deck chairs on the Titanic,” said De Lille.

ELIMINATE INEFFICIENCY AND INCOMPETENCE IN GOVERNMENT, SAYS PATRICIA DE LILLE

The former Cape Town mayor said nothing will change after the election if the current structure of the government’s administration remains the same.

“We must eliminate any inefficiency and incompetence in government by professionalising the administration and ensuring we have the right skills and capacity. This means that political leaders should not be involved in the recruitment of a professional public service,” she said.

According to the party’s 10-point plan to stop the suffering and fix South Africa, unemployment is the most significant barrier on the pathway out of poverty. It says that due to slow economic growth, millions suffer and rely on social grants to survive.

INVEST IN PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE AND BASIC SERVICES – PATRICIA DE LILLE

“Invest in public infrastructure: electricity, transport, water, housing, digital communications. This is the basis for real economic growth and will create jobs. Provide financial support for small businesses and reduce unemployment. Invest more in public employment programmes,” the party says in its manifesto.

It says that basic services like electricity, water, and sewerage must be affordable, including accelerating renewable energy generation development to end load shedding.

“What use is an electrical connection if you can’t afford any units?” asked the party.