Social and Emergency Assistance Ex-Ante and During COVID-19 in the SADC Region

Abstract

Social assistance is on the social development agenda of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states. It is not only reflected in the Code of Social Security of SADC (2007) , but is also anchored in the national legal frameworks and social protection policies of the member states. The implementation realities of social assistance in the region, however, differs. Non-state social assistance makes up for the deficits of state-run social assistance in countries with weak institutions. Countries that have institutionalised social assistance were swift to provide emergency assistance to mitigate the effects caused by the COVID-19 lockdown measures. However, the provided relief has been elusive to many migrants in the region. The implication of this is that without a clear consideration of emergency assistance as needs-based, and separate from social assistance, the region stands a little chance to assist migrants when faced with a disaster such as COVID-19.