The right to have access to social security is recognised as a human right under section 27 of the Constitution and includes appropriate social assistance to persons who are unable to support themselves and their dependants.
Social security aims to ensure that all people have adequate economic and social protection during certain events, such as unemployment.
Examples of appropriate social assistance include old-age grants, child support grants and disability grants.
During the national state of disaster, the Temporary Employee/Employer Relief Scheme (“TERS”) can be seen as a form of social assistance. TERS is a special benefit created to provide emergency relief to employers so that they may continue to pay their employees during a temporary lay-off.