Standing on the historic steps where Nelson Mandela greeted the media on his first morning as a free man 27 years ago, Archbishop Thabo Makgoba declared and reaffirmed his support for GRAPE’s campaign for a Universal Basic Income Guarantee (UBIG) by signing the pledge and affirming the Anglican Church’s commitment.

The magnitude and intricacy of the inequitable economic system, coupled with the escalating climate crisis, require a paradigm shift. For that reason, meaningful advocacy is needed more than ever. As the Accra Confession states, “the signs of the times have become more alarming and must be interpreted.” Thus, the World Communion of Reformed Churches has envisioned the GRAPE programme to accompany its member churches in addressing the root causes of systemic injustice and ecological crises while recommitting to actionable and faith-based approaches that are locally driven, placing churches in the driver’s seat for those actions.

“It is of great significance that the archbishop of the South African Anglican Church, with its long history of a prophetic role in speaking truth to power and challenging injustices, has endorsed and is on board with the World Communion of Reformed Churches’ member churches in South Africa in their march toward advocating for a universal basic income guarantee,” said Muna Nassar, executive secretary for mission and advocacy at the WCRC.

South Africa continues to experience extremely high rates of poverty, with 25.2% of South Africans living below the food poverty line of R760 per month and unable to meet basic nutritional needs. The rising cost of living further aggravates this situation.

Campaigning for a Universal Basic Income Guarantee (UBIG) seeks a commitment from the government of South Africa to ensure that everyone has a minimum level of income to meet their basic needs and to restructure the economy.

The introduction of a Universal Basic Income Guarantee aims to provide essential income support to individuals aged 18 to 59. The UBIG should initially be set at a minimum of R760 per person per month, aligned with the food poverty line, and adjusted over time as the economy grows.

The campaign for a Universal Basic Income Guarantee aims to secure a commitment from the South African government to ensure that all individuals have a minimum level of income to meet their basic needs and to facilitate economic restructuring.

The UBIG campaign is supported and endorsed by members of the communion: Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa (UPCSA), Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA), United Congregational Church of Southern Africa (UCCSA), Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa (NGK), Calvin Protestant Church (CPC) of South Africa, and Rhenish Church South Africa (RCSA).

The WCRC welcomes the support of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa, which has passed a resolution on the basic income guarantee, expressing great appreciation and reaffirming the importance of working with all partners that God provides.

The WCRC looks forward to working in partnership with the Anglicans and the Methodists in the GRAPE platform to advocate for UBIG in South Africa.