The role of temporary social grants in mitigating the poverty impact of COVID-19 in South Africa

Moses, Eldridge; Woolard, Ingrid

doi:10.4324/9781003294931-9

Cited by 3 publications

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“…Conceivably this lower food insecurity observed in our intra-pandemic cohort may be explained by the disproportionate insulating effect of pandemic-era government transfer payments on the income of poor, unemployed South Africans 46 , who composed the majority of both of our cohorts. Indeed, in April 2020, South Africa's government instituted both a series of existing grant top-ups in addition to a new Social Relief of Distress Grant of R350 ($21), which was offered to South Africans aged 18 and above who were already unemployed or who had lost employment due to the country's lockdown 49 Given that over 8 million economically vulnerable South Africans bene ted from this 41 billion rand ($2.4 billion USD) social assistance package 50 , it is plausible that the receipt of these grants had a particularly protective effect on our economically disadvantaged population of AYA. This increase in government support may have been complemented by both the efforts of local nongovernmental organizations, which engaged in extensive community outreach to alleviate intrapandemic food insecurity through the distribution of food and food vouchers [51][52] , and a notable increase in household agricultural production during the COVID-19 pandemic 48 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The COVID-19 pandemic, food insecurity, and psychosocial well-being in young South Africans newly diagnosed with HIV: a mediation analysis

Bondarchuk,

Lemon,

Medina-Marino

et al. 2024

Preprint

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BACKGROUND: Poor psychological well-being, including depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem, is both prevalent among young South Africans living with HIV and associated with poor HIV clinical outcomes. By impacting food insecurity and employment, the COVID-19 pandemic may have influenced psychological well-being in this population. This analysis sought to examine whether food insecurity and unemployment mediated the relationship between study cohort (pre- versus during-pandemic) and psychological well-being in our sample of young South Africans living with HIV. METHODS: This was a secondary analysis comparing baseline data from two cohorts of young South Africans ages 18-24 from the Cape Town and East London metro areas who tested positive for HIV at clinics (or mobile clinics) either before or during the COVID-19 pandemic. Baseline sociodemographic, economic, and psychological outcomes were analyzed through a series of bivariate logistic regression and mediation analyses. All data were analyzed in 2023 and 2024. RESULTS: Reported food anxiety, insufficient food quality, and insufficient food quantity were lower in the cohort recruited during the COVID-19 pandemic than those recruited before the pandemic (p<0.001). Higher levels of food insecurity predicted higher depressive and anxiety symptoms and lower self-esteem. Food anxiety, insufficient food quality, and insufficient food quality, but not unemployment, mediated the relationship between study cohort and depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and self-esteem. CONCLUSION: Food insecurity may have decreased amongst our sample of young people during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings build on our understanding of how the psychological well-being of young people living with HIV was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and may lend support to interventions targeting food insecurity to improve psychological well-being in this population.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The COVID-19 pandemic, food insecurity, and psychosocial well-being in young South Africans newly diagnosed with HIV: a mediation analysis

Bondarchuk,

Lemon,

Medina-Marino

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Digital Disruptions in the South Africa–Zimbabwe Remittance Corridor During COVID-19

Crush,

Tawodzera

2023

Migration and Development

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The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on migrant remittances has generated a great deal of confusion and debate. This article aims to test three conflicting global and local narratives about the relationship between the pandemic and remittance flows in the South Africa–Zimbabwe remittance corridor. We refer to these as remittance pessimism, remittance resilience and remittance rerouting narratives. The article presents the pre-pandemic background context of migration from Zimbabwe to South Africa, the evidence for a shift from informal to formal remitting during the pandemic, and the implications of the remittance rerouting narrative for other corridors. We find that many Zimbabwean migrants in South Africa experienced severe economic impacts including unemployment, income loss and lack of access to COVID-19 relief measures. We conclude that there was a significant increase in formal, primarily digital, remittances during the pandemic and a decline in informal remittance conveyance. We highlight the need for more research in other remittance corridors to identify similarities and differences between them in terms of COVID-19 impacts and the shift from informal to formal remittances enabled by digital platforms.

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Food insecurity and unemployment as mediators of the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and psychological well-being in young South Africans with HIV

Bondarchuk,

Lemon,

Medina-Marino

et al. 2024

BMC Public Health

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The role of temporary social grants in mitigating the poverty impact of COVID-19 in South Africa

Cited by 3 publications

References 0 publications

The COVID-19 pandemic, food insecurity, and psychosocial well-being in young South Africans newly diagnosed with HIV: a mediation analysis

The COVID-19 pandemic, food insecurity, and psychosocial well-being in young South Africans newly diagnosed with HIV: a mediation analysis

Digital Disruptions in the South Africa–Zimbabwe Remittance Corridor During COVID-19

Food insecurity and unemployment as mediators of the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and psychological well-being in young South Africans with HIV

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