South Africa's cash giveaway plan is not universal basic income, experts say

• A South African policy proposal is being hailed as the first national universal basic income plan.
• However, experts say it's promising but would pay too little to too few people to be a true UBI program.
• UBI champions say that only helping the poor can lead to payments being seen as welfare checks.

South Africa's top political party has proposed a social safety net that's been called the first national universal basic income (UBI) program. Experts say that's a gross exaggeration.