We know that wealth creates more wealth. So until we start concentrating, in parallel, in trying to eliminate poverty and also on this concentration of wealth at the top 10 or 1% of the population, nothing is going to change.
— Shanelle van der Berg, Senior Researcher at the South African Human Rights Commission

The main failure is that there is a misalignment between the legislation and policy at the government's disposal and constitutional obligations.
— Shanelle van der Berg, Senior Researcher at the South African Human Rights Commission
The commission says the increase in value-added tax (VAT) is a threat to various human rights and a burden to be carried by the poor.

It's going to impact the poorest people in the society the most. If the government had considered the zero basket of exempted goods beforehand and also increase the social protection system more it might have been acceptable.
— Shanelle van der Berg, Senior Researcher at the South African Human Rights Commission
Grants are only increased by up to a R100 and we've got a social protection gap in our country where able-bodied adults who don't have caregiver responsibilities aren't eligible for social grants, so there is nothing mitigating the impact of this VAT increase and that renders it constitutionally suspect.
— Shanelle van der Berg, Senior Researcher at the South African Human Rights Commission

Source: EWN