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Investing in human dignity: Why basic income support grants are crucial for a just society

Investing in human dignity: Why basic income support grants are crucial for a just society
Rachel Bukasa
By Rachel Bukasa
20 Mar 2025
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As we commemorate Human Rights Month, it is important to stress that social grants are not a handout. They are a lifeline. A basic, non-negotiable pillar of human dignity. They represent the simple but essential right of every person to have access to the means necessary to live — such as food, shelter, healthcare and education.

Every month, I watch the faces of those who line up for their social grants, many of whom have no other means of survival. 

Among them are pensioners who have worked their whole lives, only to face a future in which they are unable to provide for themselves; young mothers, who, despite their best efforts, struggle to feed their children and people with disabilities whose mobility and independence are often constrained by their economic reality. 

These are not just statistics — they are human lives, each deserving of dignity and respect. Yet, despite the critical importance of social grants in upholding their dignity, many in South Africa and across the Global South are still denied access to this fundamental human right.

As we commemorate Human Rights Month, it is important to stress that social grants are not a handout. They are a lifeline. A basic, non-negotiable pillar of human dignity. They represent the simple but essential right of every person to have access to the means necessary to live — such as food, shelter, healthcare and education. 

Human rights


Section 27 of the Constitution guarantees everyone the right to access healthcare, sufficient food and water and social security, with the state obligated to take reasonable measures to progressively realise these rights — human rights!  

This is not charity, it is justice. It is the right of every human being, regardless of their circumstance, to have access to basic social protections. For many, social grants are the only safety net, a thin thread that prevents them from falling into the abyss of extreme poverty. And yet, far too often, this thread is frayed. 

In our work at Black Sash, I have seen the systemic failures that have left the most vulnerable people in our society out in the cold. A perfect example is the transition from South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) gold cards to Postbank black cards. While this change was presented as a simple process, the reality has been anything but. 

The replacement system has been riddled with issues: miscommunication, inaccessibility, technical glitches and delays that leave people without access to their much-needed funds. For the elderly, the disabled and those living in rural areas, these failures are not just an inconvenience, they are a matter of life and death. Without their grants, they are left without money for food, transport or medical care. It is a failure of human dignity, and it is unacceptable.

Denied access


This is not an isolated issue. Across the Global South, millions of people are denied access to the social protection they need, leaving them vulnerable to the devastating effects of poverty. The absence of comprehensive social safety nets forces families to fend for themselves in a world that is already stacked against them. These governments often claim that they cannot afford to expand social grants — but the truth is that we cannot afford not to.

Denying people access to social protection is not only unjust, it is also in direct contradiction to international commitments like the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG1 which requires governments to “implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and SDG 10, which seeks to “ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including through fiscal, wage, and social protection policies”.

Failing to invest in social protection not only deepens poverty and inequality but undermines the global agenda to ensure dignity, equity, and a life of wellbeing for all. 

Investing in people is not an expenditure — it is an investment in the future of a nation. By providing universal social protection, governments create a foundation for social and economic stability. They provide children with the resources they need to attend school, the sick with the care they need to recover and the elderly with the dignity they deserve.

This is the very essence of human rights: the right to life, to liberty, to wellbeing. And that right is often realised through access to social grants.

Investment in people


But investment in people goes beyond just funding social grants. It requires a shift in fiscal policy. One that prioritises the wellbeing of people over short-term profits or political gain. We must ask: How are our resources being spent, and who benefits from that spending? Too often, money is allocated to sectors that fail to create sustainable solutions to poverty and inequality. Instead of focusing on enriching a few, we need to allocate resources that directly support the wellbeing of the most vulnerable. This means restructuring budgets, reevaluating priorities, and making a long-term investment in human dignity.

Black Sash has long been advocating for a Basic Income Support Grant, a policy that would provide everyone living in South Africa with a basic monthly income to ensure that no one is left behind. This call is not radical; it is pragmatic. It is a recognition that in a world of deepening inequality, the most vulnerable among us need more than just a handout — they need a systemic change that ensures their economic survival. 

A Basic Income Grant would help close the gap, empowering individuals with the financial freedom to make choices driven not by mere survival, but by opportunity and dignity. Contrary to the popular narrative that interventions like Basic Income Support or other social protection measures create dependency or a so-called “welfare state”, empirical evidence tells a different story.

Strong social protection systems


Countries with strong social protection systems not only reduce poverty, but also strengthen their economies. More people are able to participate in the workforce because social protection gives them the stability to recover from setbacks, invest in their skills, and seize opportunities. Instead of fostering dependency, robust social safety nets enable resilience — helping people bounce back faster from poverty, unemployment, or crises, and contributing meaningfully to society. 

It would allow children to grow up with access to education and healthcare, allow the elderly to live with dignity, and allow the sick to receive the care they need. By investing in people in this way, we are investing in the long-term stability of society as a whole.

Critics often argue that a basic income grant would be too expensive, but this perspective misses the point. What is the cost of a society where millions live in poverty, without access to the essentials of life? What is the cost of a system that fails to uphold the basic human rights of its people? The true cost is not the allocation of resources to social protection but the long-term social and economic consequences of leaving people behind.

Shift in perspective


It is time for a shift in perspective. We must recognise social grants not as an expense but as an investment: an investment in human dignity, equality and stability. A Basic Income Support Grant is not a luxury; it is a necessity. It is time for governments across the Global South to recognise this and make the fiscal adjustments needed to support the most vulnerable in their societies. 

In conclusion, social grants are not just a government responsibility. They are a human right. And when we fail to uphold this right, we fail to uphold the dignity of every person in our society. The need for a social protection floor, particularly through a Basic Income Support Grant, has never been more urgent. Our collective future depends on our ability to invest in people, to lift them out of poverty and to ensure that all citizens can live with the dignity they deserve. It is not enough to survive — we must ensure that we all have the opportunity to thrive. DM

Rachel Bukasa is Executive Director at Black Sash, a veteran human rights organisation in South Africa. Black Sash celebrates its 70th Jubilee Celebrations in May.

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