Vouchers for food relief welcomed – IRR

Press Release 

The Institute of Race Relations (IRR) welcomes the announcement by Gauteng premier David Makhura of his government’s intention to make use of vouchers in providing food relief to South Africans in need.

As a mechanism to give poor South Africans the liberty of making their own choices, the IRR has long supported using vouchers as a way of empowering less well-off people. Issuing emergency Covid-19 vouchers was a key proposal of Friends In Need – Covid-19: How South Africa Can Save #LivesAndLivelihoods, a comprehensive policy response framework to the coronavirus crisis, published by the IRR on 25 March 2020.

Says IRR Deputy Head of Policy Research and co-editor of Friends In Need Hermann Pretorius: “While many mistakes have been made and are being made by governments in South Africa amidst this pandemic, it is heartening that some of the policy proposals we’ve put forward have been taken on board by policymakers.

“We will continue vigorously and fairly criticizing the mistakes of governments at all levels, but we will also continue offering practical, sensible solutions on how we as a country can save #LivesAndLivelihoods.”

 
Media contact: Hermann Pretorius, IRR Deputy Head of Policy Research – 079 875 4290; hermann@irr.org.za
Media enquiries: Michael Morris Tel: 066 302 1968 Email: michael@irr.org.za
Kelebogile Leepile Tel: 079 051 0073 Email: kelebogile@irr.org.za
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