The Democratic Alliance (DA) hit back at the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) on Saturday, after the union federation criticised its proposals for a basic income grant (BIG) for needy citizens.
DA representative Nick Clelland-Stokes, said Cosatu would do better to ”engage us in a constructive discussion on the implementation of the BIG”.
In a statement issued in Cape Town earlier on Saturday, Cosatu said the DA proposals ”threaten to damage the BIG campaign, because they are ill-conceived and confusing”.
The BIG Coalition — of which Cosatu is a part — had ”painstakingly developed a simple and coherent platform”.
”However, the DA proposals are unworkable and retrogressive, although attempting to cherry-pick elements of the coalition’s proposals,” the statement said.
Cosatu accused the DA of ”opportunism”, and using the issue for its own ”narrow political objectives”.
In a later statement, Clelland-Stokes said it was unfortunate and regrettable that Cosatu had chosen to attack the DA for campaigning for a basic income grant for destitute South Africans.
”The DA is willing to work with any organisation in pursuit of the implementation of a financially sound and workable basic income grant,” he said.
”Moreover, we have said repeatedly that we are open to discussion on the best way to manage and finance a BIG.”
The DA believed its proposal was simple, relatively easy to implement and financially sustainable.
”Cosatu would do better to engage us in a constructive discussion on the implementation of the BIG. Our focus must be on the poor. We must not waste time politicking against each other over an issue on which we are in substantive agreement. We believe it would be immature to do so,” Clelland-Stokes said.
The DA has proposed a basic income grant of R110 a month. In effect, however, only people who earn less that R7 500 a year will benefit from the grant.
The grant will not be available to people who already receive another state grant, or to dependants of people who receive the grant themselves.
In terms of the DA’s proposals, it will be financed by the use of the money saved by the state and also by increasing VAT by one percent. ? Sapa