In February 2023, the Child Support Grant of R480 is 28% below the Food Poverty Line of R663, and 44% below the average cost to feed a child a basic nutritious diet (R864,06).
This month we have included A Comment on the Eskom hike and National Minimum Wage which shows how the Eskom hike cuts government’s National Minimum Wage proposed offer in half.
For the past three months fuel prices and global food commodity prices have come down, yet we do not see a corresponding drop in food prices at the retail level.
The review of the work of the Heinrich Böll Foundation in the year 2021 is overshadowed by Russia’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine. In addition, two other serious crises are keeping the world in their grip: the climate catastrophe and the continued implications of the COVID-19 pandemic. The major crises of our time are occurring against the backdrop of an ongoing rise of autocracies and a massive restriction of democratic liberties. Despite all this, democratic movements are standing up for their rights, fighting corruption and repression, and challenging governments – some of them with our support.
The escalation of food inflation on basic staple foods, one which households cannot absorb, and one where no apparent relief is forthcoming, at least in the near-term, is a major concern.
Our partner, the Hate Crimes Working Group (HCWG), has been lobbying for a law against hate crimes and hate speech since 2018. This brief was developed to give policy and lawmakers an impression of the unacceptably high and ongoing cost in human life, equality, and dignity experienced in 2021 alone.
