Most people who care about measuring poverty—policymakers, academics, non-profit organisations, and the like—agree that the way the government currently determines poverty levels and social security policy does not work.

According to the Studies in Poverty and Inequality Institute (SPII), the national poverty line figures were of great concern, particularly because the Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress Grant (SDG) of R350, does not even meet the food poverty line, now set at R624 a month. They believe that the setting of poverty lines is a choice about what poor people deserve to have, and it is always a choice made by non -poor experts.

Title:                   [• Mr.]   

Name:                 [• Nkululeka Majozi]  

Position at organisation:  [• Researcher at the Studies in Poverty and Inequality Institute (SPII)]