DJ Warras slammed over 'child grants' comments: Payment for kids is just a s**t plan

Radio personality DJ Warras has been lambasted on social media, after he questioned the child grant system, claiming that “people should not be incentivised to have children they can't afford”.

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced several relief efforts to curb a socio-economic meltdown during the Covid-19 pandemic on Tuesday evening. This included an increase in the amount given to those collecting child grants. Current recipients will get an additional R300 in May, jumping to R500 extra from June to October.

Other grant recipients will receive an extra R250 per month for the next six months.

While Warras agreed with the steps taken by the president to help those who need it most, he said he did not agree with the child grant payment system. 

“I don't agree with the child grant payment, before Covid-19. That whole payment for children is just a s**t plan. People should not be incentivised to have children they can't afford,” he tweeted.

His comments went viral, with many slamming him for being “ignorant” and “speaking from a place of privilege”.

The raging debate spawned the hashtag #WarrasMustFall which topped the Twitter trends list.

Warras deleted the tweet and claimed that it was misunderstood. He said that he was trying to make a point about absent fathers who leave the state to look after their children.

He stood by his claims, adding that fathers should be held accountable.

“Do you think it’s viable to just keep allowing fathers to abandon their responsibility because there is a grant? They’re not accountable at all? And if you think R400 is enough to raise a child, get in touch with reality yourself. It’s f**kall.”

He said it was also difficult to believe that everyone who got the grant used it all on their children, and said that throwing money at a problem was not the solution.

“Show me that you are 100% sure that every cent of that money given to every person who receives it is used for that child. Don’t be naive. You can’t solve the problem by throwing never ending money at it and pretending it’s a solution.”