In a country where nearly half of the population relies on state support, social grants have become an essential lifeline for millions of South Africans.

A 2023 report from the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) underscores the magnitude of this dependency. It reveals that over 16 million people are permanent beneficiaries of social grants, while at least 10 million more received the temporary Social Relief of Distress Grant (SRD).

The SRD grant, which was initially R350 and increased to R370, was introduced for six months to support the unemployed people during the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. However, it was extended until March 2025.

To evaluate how beneficiaries survive with the grant, IOL spoke to a family of 12 who solely rely on grants.

The family from Mabopane, a township in Tshwane, consists of six siblings who are all unemployed and they have six children amongst them.

"I lost my mother and father, and I live with my five siblings, we are six. We are all unemployed and we have children," said Lerato Moketla (not her real name).

"There are six children among us. Out of the six children, only four are getting the child support grant. From my siblings, only one of us gets the R370 meant for unemployed people."

Moketla said they survive on R2,120 which is from the four children who are still under 18 years and the other two have been kicked out of the system.

"The money doesn't sustain us. It doesn't even cover our monthly groceries. So, for us to survive, we recycle plastics and tins, and we ask our neighbours to assist and keep some of the items for us. We can't even afford water and electricity. We have been using it illegally for over 10 years," she said.

Moketla said they approached the municipality to apply for POP (poor of the poorest), and their application was declined because one of the siblings registered a company, which is defunct. They were told the brother must first deregister before applying.

"Even our municipality bill is extremely high, we can't afford to pay it. We are using electricity and water illegally. I'm pleading with the government to at least increase the child support grant or create job opportunities so that we can get jobs and support our families," she said.

"Also, it would be best if municipalities wipe off our debts and we start afresh because we owe a lot of money, and we won't be able to pay it off."

A social worker who spoke on condition of anonymity said her job was to visit families who are struggling to survive despite receiving social grants.

"Every region has offices for people who can apply for extra help if grant money is not enough, but we first investigate the applicant's financial status and the number of dependents they have, because if the income is over R4,000, they can't qualify. After applying at our offices, I have the task of going to their houses and also checking their living conditions," she said.

The social worker added that when it was established that the family qualified for help, they were given bread every morning which they collected at their office. They receive monthly groceries and clothes every three months.

Concerns have been raised that the social grant increases are too low in comparison to rising food prices, suggestions have been made that social grants also have to increase to meet the demand.

However, speaking to IOL, SASSA spokesperson, Andile Tshona said the money paid to beneficiaries is not determined by the agency, adding that is "a policy issue that is determined by government."

"SASSA is therefore in no position to say it is not enough or not, as an entity, we implement as per the directive.2. In bridging the gap, SASSA has to do what it can in line with policy directives from its mother body, department of Social Development and budget allocation by National Treasury.

"SASSA cannot do anything outside that we do work in isolation, we are guided by prescrips, policy and budget," he said.

sinenhlanhla.masilela@iol.co.za

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