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The special COVID-19 grant was due to expire this month, but the government has chosen to extend it. Various civil society organizations have also lobbied the government to extend the benefits.
President Cyril Ramaphosa addresses a joint session of Parliament on October 15, 2020. Image: @ PresidencyZA / Twitter
CAPE TOWN – President Cyril Ramaphosa said the government will extend the R350 COVID-19 special grant for another three months.
Ramaphosa made the announcement Thursday when he presented his economic recovery plan in a joint session of Parliament.
• READ: President Ramaphosa’s Economic Recovery Plan for SA
The plan focused mainly on job creation and other structural reforms in the economy.
President Ramaphosa said the country needed to do everything possible to support those most in need in society.
The special COVID-19 grant was due to expire this month, but the government has chosen to extend it.
Various civil society organizations have also lobbied the government to extend the benefits.
The president said the vulnerable must be protected.
“We need to do everything in our power to support those in society who continue to face hunger and also continue to face heartbreak. Therefore, we will extend the COVID-19 special grant for another three months.”
He made the announcement amid a series of other interventions to restore the country’s economy that has been aggravated by COVID19.
These include a stimulus to employment, as well as a massive investment in infrastructure of more than R100 billion in the next three years.
“This plan responds directly to the immediate economic impact of COVID-19 by driving job creation and expanding support to vulnerable households.”
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