Latest news with #Covid-19SRD
The Citizen
10-07-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Sassa delivers grants and IDs to Harding
Sassa and Social Development hosted a successful outreach in Harding, providing social grant support, ID services and business funding. Residents of Harding and surrounding areas in KwaZulu-Natal received crucial government services this week during a community outreach led by the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) and the Department of Social Development. The Integrated Community Registration and Outreach Programme (ICROP) took place on Tuesday at Mlamulankunzi Sports Ground in Ward 8, with Deputy Minister for Social Development, Ganief Hendricks, heading the delegation. 'This is my first, and hopefully the first of many ICROPs to come that I will be doing with Sassa, not only here in KZN but throughout the country. 'This is what ICROPs are all about: bringing government services closer to those who need it most and where they live,' said Hendricks. Access to grants, IDs and support Hundreds of residents received help with social grant applications, Covid-19 SRD enquiries, and identification services from the Department of Home Affairs. Beneficiaries also had the opportunity to engage directly with local leaders and national officials. Sassa's acting regional executive manager in KZN, Simlindile Jabavu, stated that the province is home to approximately 2.9 million Child Support Grant recipients. ALSO READ: Sassa cracks down on beneficiaries flagged for not disclosing income KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Social Development Mbali Shinga described the outreach as a tool for real change. 'I'm confident that today's outreach will help us take meaningful strides in poverty alleviation and our fight against GBV,' said Shinga. Business support handed over The National Development Agency handed over a cheque of more than R99 000 to Nolubaphitha Primary Cooperative Limited, a local female-led business that provides low-cost bread to the community. 'These are the kinds of initiatives we want to support as part of our Sustainable Livelihoods Programme,' said Hendricks. Sassa also distributed school uniforms to underprivileged pupils as part of its Social Relief of Distress Programme. Community member Bathobile Disani welcomed the initiative. 'We have challenges with our Covid-19 SRD grants, and Sassa officials were able to assist and resolve the issues on-site,' she said. NOW READ: No social grants have been suspended, says Sassa
The Citizen
07-05-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Government responds to call to increase pensioners' Sassa grant to R5 000
'We are between a rock and a hard place,' says the Department of Social Development. The Department of Social Development says it has found itself between a rock and a hard place on social grants. The department appeared before Parliament's portfolio committee on social development on Wednesday to respond to calls for an increase in the pensioners' grant. Riyad Isaac explained to the committee that the current grant amount was not enough, given the high living costs. 'Not enough' 'I do understand that pensioners are now getting R2 310, my argument that I am putting forward is that it is nowhere near enough to survive. My heart goes out to all those pensioners. Forget about the racial lines, if you are 60 or 65, remember you are the backbone of society,' said Isaac. ALSO READ: Sassa grants will be paid out this week, but some may be left out 'When people are employed in the government service or any other entity, they might have a pension, which is lucrative. 'However, the majority of people are not that fortunate. Many people are living below the poverty line and struggling to make ends meet. 'I always encounter people asking for help. The question is, who among us is there to lend a helping hand? So I am asking, R2 300 is not nearly enough because if I look at the rates and rental they have to pay, many of them reach out for food parcels because they do not have enough. 'Our parents have brought us up, and this is how we are treating them? There is no way in hell that we can allow those pensioners to survive on that amount of money.' ALSO READ: SASSA SRD grant to be 'converted' to basic income grant – Mbalula says [VIDEO] Isaac said that although he understood the R5,000 requested could not be achieved currently, the government should consider adding R500 to the current amount. 'Pensioners' grant the highest of them all' Acting chief director of the Department of Social Development Dr Maureen Mogotsi said that although the department sympathised with elderly people, it would not be feasible to pay them R5 000. Currently, about 19 million beneficiaries receive social grants, 4.1 million are older persons, and an average of 8.5 million receive the Covid-19 SRD grant. ALSO READ: Delay expected in Sassa grant payments for May — These are the beneficiaries affected In 2023, the number of people aged 60 and above was estimated at 5.5 million. Of these, 59.8% were women, while 40.2% were men. The Western Cape (10.8%) had the highest percentage of older people. About R284.7 billion was allocated to the social grants for the 2025/26 financial year. The pensioners' grant is now R2 310 for those younger than 75 (it will increase to R2 320 in October) and R2 330 for those 75 and older (it will increase to R2 340 in October). 'It makes it difficult to argue for an increase of this particular grant because it is already the highest among all grants,' said Mogotsi. 'It exceeds the Upper Bound Poverty line. In contrast, the Child Support Grant is below the food poverty line, even though child poverty is higher than adult poverty.' Mogotsi said if the government were to increase the pensioners' grant to R5 000 for the 4.1 million beneficiaries, it would cost the government R246 billion, which would almost double the current budget. 'Is this feasible? It makes it difficult because we are between a rock and a hard place. Even those receiving the SRD grants are below the poverty line. Who should we consider first? It's not possible for us to increase the pensioners' grants.' READ NEXT: Sassa problems and glitches this year, will we get a basic income grant in 2025?
