Pressure from the provinces is mounting on African National Congress leaders to implement the Taylor commission recommendations of a comprehensive social security system as soon as possible.
In a bid to deflect the pressure, with the ANC’s national conference just three months away, President Thabo Mbeki is likely to make a strong case for implementing the system when he opens the party’s three-day national policy conference in Kempton Park today.
The pressure is reflected in an ANC statement this week, which said the provinces had “overwhelmingly” indicated the “need to move swiftly” towards improving the current social grants — for children, the disabled, pensioners and war veterans — and moving towards national health insurance.
The provinces have proposed extending the child-support grant to children between the ages of seven and either 15 or 18 years, in line with the recommendations of the Taylor report, released in May.
Minister of Social Development Zola Skweyiya indicated at the time that the proposals would take many months to process. He added that the ministerial committee on the budget would not be able to consider the financing aspects of the recommendations until April next year.
Growing popular disgruntlement over inflation, hikes in the interest rate and food price rises have fuelled the pressure on the ANC leadership.
Leftists in the “tripartite alliance” feel delegates to the national policy conference, which will formulate policies for endorsement at the ANC’s national conference in Stellenbosch in December, are likely to make a strong case for the implementation of the Basic Income Grant.
But the presence of ministers such as Trevor Manuel, who have grave reservations about how a basic income grant can be sustainably financed, is likely to scotch the suggestion.
There could be heated debates on the state’s “restructuring” (privatisation) plans, possibly ignited by the presence of ministers spearheading the policy.
There is speculation that Mbeki may tackle anti-privatisation planned by the ANC’s alliance partners, the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party, next week.
The need for a comprehensive employment strategy, expanding labour-intensive production, measures to strengthen food security and improving the quality of education will be the other major issues to be debated at the conference.