Against the Tide by Steven Friedman

Social grants play a vital role in the economy of millions of people in this country and are the chief reason why people vote for the governing party. But last week's budget raises most grants by less than the inflation rate, meaning that people who need grants will have less to spend. Yet the ANC does not see this as a problem and opposition parties don't see it as an opportunity, showing again how out of touch parties are with many voters.

This is the view of this week's Against the Tide  column which was sent to subscribers this morning. To subscribe, please visit the Against the Tide website. To discuss a free or reduced subscription, please contact info@againstthetide.co.za.

Steven Friedman is a public commentator and an academic, currently employed as a Research Professor at the University of Johannesburg. He has been writing on South African politics for the entire democratic period both as a scholar and public commentator. He has published books on South Africa’s transition to democracy, the role of the trade union movement, and current South African politics. He has also written columns and articles for several South African newspapers. His writing seeks to use academic research to shed light on current politics but to ensure that this is conveyed in a way easily understood by people who have no academic training.