BACKGROUND
On 26th September 2020, Finance Minister Bwalya Ngandu disclosed, as he unveiled the proposed 2021 national budget in Lusaka, that the government of Zambia will increase the monthly allowances for Social Cash Transfer (SCT) beneficiaries from the current K90 to K110.
In line with the above statements, the ACA conducted a fact-checking exercise around the use of the Social Cash Transfer (SCT) and how it has benefitted people living with disabilities. Specifically, the fact being checked is has government increased the Social Cash Transfer (SCT) allowance that is offered to the beneficiaries living with disabilities at Linda Farms Compound in Livingstone.
PROCEDURE
The ACA carried out a recorded interview with persons living with disabilities in Linda Farms Compound on the effects the COVID-19 pandemic has had on them. The interview was attended by twenty [20] participants, fifteen [15] were female while five [5] were male and the Regional Coordinator at Linda Farms. During the meeting, information was collected on:
• The challenges the people living with disabilities at Linda Farms faced.
• The type of assistance people living with disabilities received from the government.
FINDINGS
• The participants indicated that they were no longer allowed to ask for money from well-wishers in communities and in the Central Business District due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• They were not able to buy enough food to sustain themselves and their families.
ASSISTANCE PEOPLE LIVING WITH DISABILITIES RECEIVED FROM THE GOVERNMENT DURING THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC
• Senior citizens experienced delays in receiving the SCT allowances. The participants indicated that they only started receiving the allowance in January of 2021, after not receiving the money for one (1) year six (6) months.
• The participants also indicated that as of January 2021, they receive money in amounts totalling K360 which should sustain them for a period of three (3) months. As of April 2021, the amount has further increased to K 600 after two (2) months.
CONCLUSION
It is a fact that the SCT program is operational through the Ministry of Community Development and Social Welfare. It is also a fact the beneficiaries at Linda Farms Compound in Livingstone experienced delays in receiving SCT allowances and went for months without receiving the SCT in 2020. As of January 2021, the beneficiaries received K360 for three (3) months and this amount was further increased to K600 in April 2021. The claim that the government has increased the Social Cash Transfer (SCT) allowance that is offered to the beneficiaries living with disabilities at Linda Farms Compound in Livingstone is TRUE.
This Fact-Check has been supported by the German Development Cooperation