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The South African
a day ago
- Business
- The South African
SASSA Children's grants for June 2025 payout this WEEK
Here's all you need to know about SASSA Children's grants for June 2025, paying out this week on Thursday 5 June 2025. Every month, billions in social welfare is set aside from taxpayer funds to support financially distressed parents in South Africa. And even though there was some uncertainty over Finance Minister's 2025 budget, the good news is April's above-inflation grant increases have not been reversed. As such, SASSA Children's grants for June 2025 are the most expensive for the government to payout. For example, R560 for Child Support may not sound like a lot, but it's paid each month to roughly 14-million beneficiaries. There are also Foster Care and Child Dependency grants under the Childcare banner. But more about those later… If you are unfamiliar with how the SASSA Children's grants for June 2025 are divided up, here's what you need to know. The South African Social Security Agency administers all child-related social grants. However, you may only claim one grant at a time. And only one parent (if married) may claim a grant per child. There is no limit on how many children you may apply on behalf of though. SASSA Childcare pays R560 per month. per month. SASSA Care Dependency pays R2 310 per month to those with disability under 18. per month to those with disability under 18. SASSA Foster Care for R1 250 to a court-appointed foster parent. SASSA is imploring parents to register with Home Affairs and get their children support from day one. Image: SASSA Better still, the Department of Social Development (DSD) has been imploring young mothers with newborns to make their SASSA applications as soon as possible. It says parents are waiting too long before getting their children onto critical social welfare. As such, we calculated that if a mother puts a newborn onto SASSA Children's grants for June 2025, that child will earn the household roughly R155 500 in government funds. Of course, we can only guess at the annual grant increases. But this conservatively factors in estimated annual grant increases like the 5.7% enjoyed back in April 2025. However, to qualify for any childcare grant, you do have to pass the following means test (there is no asset portion, like Older Person grants): Earn less than R8 800 per month if married ( R105 600 annually). per month if married ( annually). Earn less than R4 400 per month if single (R52 800 annually). Of course, your child must be under the age of 18. And another SASSA rule is you cannot receive more than one grant at same time (like Disability or Older Persons, for example). Applications can take up to three months to be processed however, you will be back-paid to the date of your initial application. If you are denied a Children's grant, you have 90 days to appeal through the DSD. First of all, before you worry about SASSA Children's grants for June 2025, you must register your child with the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) eHome portal. Many parents are not getting their newborn's unabridged birth certificate and identification document early enough, says government. Until they have these, they are not eligible to be loaded onto the SASSA Childcare system. After you have been through DHA eHome, you can make an appointment on the SASSA online portal, before having an in-person meeting with SASSA. Be sure to bring the following documents with you to the appointment: Valid identity documents of you and your spouse (if married). Official birth certificate and ID of the child you're applying for support for. Proof of marital status (via a marriage, birth or death certificate of your spouse). Proof of income (both you and your spouse). An approved three-month bank statement (no more than three-months old). Proof of address (a utility statement with your name on it that's not more the three-months old). SASSA Foster Child grants only go to court-approved foster parents. Likewise, Childcare Dependency grants only go to children who have received the necessary disability approvals from a government doctor. Make note of the rest of 2025's Childcare payment dates. Image: SASSA For application or payment queries you can contact SASSA directly here: SASSA Toll-Free Call: 0800 60 10 11 SASSA Head Office: 012 400 2322 Email SASSA: grantenquiries@ Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Daily Maverick
6 days ago
- Health
- Daily Maverick
Ten unacceptable facts about hunger in South Africa on World Hunger Day
World Hunger Day is more appropriate than World Food Day for South Africa to commemorate. Lack of food is not a problem in our country; hunger is the problem. Many South Africans have heard of World Food Day (16 October), but probably way fewer have heard of World Hunger Day (28 May). In 2011, The Hunger Project launched World Hunger Day to call attention to the global food crisis. The vision for World Hunger Day 2030 is a world where no person lacks access to adequate nutritious food. Importantly, World Hunger Day does not see donating meals to hungry people as a sustainable solution. Instead, the solution lies in empowering hungry people, and addressing the underlying social and economic inequities that cause hunger. Ending hunger requires systemic change. By empowering communities facing hunger, we can transform the systems of inequity that keep hunger in place. We argue that World Hunger Day is more appropriate than World Food Day for South Africa to commemorate. Lack of food is not a problem in our country; hunger is the problem. This apparent paradox is easy to explain. There is more than enough food in South Africa, but millions of South Africans do not have access to sufficient food, because of poverty, unemployment, food waste, and inadequate government interventions such as social grants. Here are 10 reasons why South Africans should take World Hunger Day seriously. Ten unacceptable facts about hunger in South Africa A total of 1,000 children die from severe acute malnutrition every year. Malnutrition is the underlying cause of a further 10,000 child deaths every year, accounting for one-third of all child deaths in South Africa. More than 5 million children under five (29%) are stunted, or too short for their age. This has increased from 27% in 2016. The global target is to halve stunting by 2030. Only one in five infants (22%) under six months old are exclusively breastfed. The global target is 50% by 2025. A total of 10 million tons of food goes to waste every year, equivalent to one-third of 31 million tons This wasted food could generate 30 billion meals, enough to feed all hungry people in South Africa for more than a year. The Child Support Grant, at R560/month, is 30% below the food poverty line, and 42% less than the cost of a nutritious diet for a child. Farm workers suffer severe seasonal hunger, rising from less than 50% in summer (farming season) to over 85% in winter (when they have no work). A worker earning the national minimum wage (R28.79/hour), after electricity and transport costs, can buy less than half (41%) of a nutritious diet for a family of four. A total of 14 million South Africans, or 25% of the population, survive below the food poverty line, which is set at R796 per person per month. One in five households (21%) have inadequate access to food. Female-headed households are more affected (24%) than male-headed households (18%). Twenty-four percent of black and 19% of coloured South Africans, but only 3% of Indians and whites, have inadequate access to food. The Union Against Hunger The Union Against Hunger (UAH), a social justice movement with founding members that include civil society organisations like the Healthy Living Alliance (Heala) coalition, Grow Great and the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund, see World Hunger Day as an opportunity to spotlight food injustice and advocate for upholding the constitutional right to food. On World Hunger Day 2025, the Union Against Hunger and partners are organising public meetings in three cities: Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg. The UAH has also launched a petition (sign it here) calling on Shoprite CEO Pieter Engelbrecht to bring food prices down urgently. Reducing food prices is one of 10 demands that the UAH is making. Others include: halve child stunting by 2030; raise the Child Support Grant to the food poverty line and introduce a Maternal Support Grant; extend early childhood development and school nutrition to all children; address seasonal hunger, especially of farm workers; and pass legislation to reduce food wastage. A recent Daily Maverick article revealed that 155 children have died of malnutrition in public health facilities since January, according to official statistics provided by the minister of health. An unknown number — probably much higher — have died of hunger outside hospitals and clinics. This is not ' normal '. It is unnecessary and unacceptable, as World Hunger Day reminds us. The government, the private sector, civil society and the general public should all unite to fight the scourge of hunger and malnutrition in South Africa, until no one goes to bed hungry, let alone dies of entirely avoidable malnutrition. DM
IOL News
11-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Pension funds must comply with PFA information requests, says Muvhango Lukhaimane
The Pension Funds Adjudicator, Muvhango Lukhaimane, asserts that pension funds must provide requested information without beneficiary consent, clarifying the PFA's authority under the Protection of Personal Information Act. A pension fund is obliged to provide the Pension Funds Adjudicator (PFA) with requested information without obtaining consent from beneficiaries, says Muvhango Lukhaimane, the PFA. According to Lukhaimane, funds cannot use the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) as an excuse to withhold information from the PFA. She says that as a public body, as defined in the Act, the PFA has the right to access personal information when performing its duties. This came to light in a recent determination, where Lukhaimane made it clear that the PFA falls within the definition of a tribunal under POPIA and is permitted to collect personal information when necessary for its investigations. The issue arose when a fund initially refused to provide its investigation report to the PFA, citing the need to protect beneficiaries' personal details. Only after being reminded that POPIA allows the PFA to process personal information in the exercise of its powers and duties, did the fund comply with the request. Lukhaimane clarified that, in matters involving death benefits, the PFA's role is to assess whether the board acted rationally, reasonably, and within the law. 'Therefore, a fund cannot hide behind POPIA and bears the onus of demonstrating that it has conducted a proper investigation per section 37C,' she says. The Financial Services Tribunal further reinforced this point, stating that the PFA should insist on investigation reports to confirm that funds have provided sufficient information to justify their allocations. A recent complaint brought before the PFA highlighted the consequences of inadequate investigations. The case involved the Eskom Pension and Provident Fund, which was tasked with allocating a lump sum death benefit of R560,160 following the passing of a pension fund member. The board distributed the benefit among the deceased's customary spouse, life partner, and children, but Lukhaimane was not satisfied that a thorough investigation had been conducted to justify the final distribution. She ruled that the fund had a duty to actively investigate the extent of each beneficiary's financial dependency on the deceased to ensure an equitable allocation. The deceased had nominated his customary spouse to receive 80% of the benefit, with 10% allocated to his life partner and the remainder to two of his children. However, the actual allocation deviated significantly from his wishes: 28% was allocated to his customary spouse 28% to his life partner Two percent each to five major children 30% to a minor child Two percent each to two other minor children The fund justified its decision by arguing that the life partner qualified as the deceased's factual dependant, given that she was 50 years old, unemployed, and had no immediate income prospects. However, Lukhaimane found that the board had failed to give sufficient weight to the beneficiary nomination form, which must be a substantial factor in any decision on death benefits. Lukhaimane stressed that the law recognises three categories of dependants: Legal dependants – Those for whom the deceased had a legal duty of support, such as spouses and children. Factual dependants – Individuals who relied on the deceased for financial support, but for whom there was no legal obligation. Future dependants – Those who could have become financially reliant on the deceased over time. While qualifying as a legal or factual dependant does not automatically entitle someone to a portion of the benefit, the determining factor remains financial dependency. Lukhaimane says dependants must not be left destitute by the death of the deceased, which places an obligation on the funds to actively investigate the financial circumstances of each beneficiary. 'There must be a good reason for a fund not to give effect to a nomination, to justify its decision to deviate from the wishes of the deceased,' she ruled. She also criticised the Eskom Pension and Provident Fund for failing to gather adequate proof of dependency, stating: 'The fund indicated that the complainant and the deceased's major children failed to provide proof of the extent of their financial dependency on the deceased. However, there is a duty on the fund to actively investigate this before making an allocation.' In this case, the board's decision was set aside, reinforcing the importance of transparent and fair decision-making in pension funds. Ultimately, she says pension funds have a duty to ensure that dependants receive what they are entitled to, not through assumption or incomplete investigations, but through rigorous and well-documented financial assessments. PERSONAL FINANCE
The South African
09-05-2025
- Business
- The South African
SASSA pension grants will NOT be doubled, confirms department
The Department of Social Development (DSD) has confirmed that SASSA pension grants will not be doubled. In fact, speaking before the Parliamentary portfolio committee on social development this week, the department said it is 'between a rock and a hard place' on social grants. Referring to the still-unapproved 2025 Budget, the DSD was responding to calls for SASSA pension grants to be doubled. Or at the very least increased again in 2025. As part of the committee meeting, SASSA pension grant advocate Riyad Isaac explained that the current grant amount was not enough to combat rising living costs in South Africa … Furthermore, the DSD overseas the South African Social Security Agency, which is tasked with disbursing social welfare to nearly 45% of the population. Nevertheless, there is still confusion over whether above-inflation grant increases in 2025 will remain or be overturned under a new budget. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana must convince parliament for a third time of his budget intentions. However, he famously said he was only proposing a VAT increase in 2025 to help pay for the ever-increasing social welfare contribution. This has led to wide-scale conjecture that suspended SASSA accounts in May are an attempt to claw money back. After a five-week gap, SASSA pension grants were paid this week. Image: File Nevertheless, even with the above-inflation increases approved in April 2025, beneficiaries of SASSA pension grants are not happy. 'I understand pensioners are now getting R2 310 (and R2 330 for over 75s) but it's nowhere near enough to survive. My heart goes out to all the over 60s. Remember, they are the backbone of society,' said Isaac in front of parliament. 'Some might have a pension, which is lucrative. But the majority of people are not that fortunate. Many live below the poverty line and struggle to make ends meet. R2 310 is not nearly enough if you look at the rates and rental they have to pay. There is no way we should allow pensioners to survive on only that amount,' Isaac concluded. In response, DSD acting chief director, Dr. Maureen Mogotsi said she sympathised, but said it would not be feasible to double SASSA pension grants. Of the roughly 19-million 'core' grants paid monthly, 4 million are SASSA pension grants. She said R285 billion has already been allocated to the social grants for the 2025/26 financial year. And because SASSA pension grants are already the highest paid among all grants, it makes it difficult to argue for an increase, let alone doubling, explained Mogotsi. 'It (Older Person grants) already exceeds the upper poverty line. While, in contrast, the R560 SASSA Child Support Grant is below the food poverty line, even though child poverty is higher than adult poverty. You see, we are between a rock and a hard place. Who should we consider first? It's simply not possible for us to double SASSA pension grants,' Mogotsi concluded. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
IOL News
06-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Pension Funds Adjudicator demands transparency from funds in death benefit disputes
Pension Funds Adjudicator Muvhango Lukhaimane has said that the POPI Act does not prevent the PFA from having access to pension fund investigation reports. Image: Supplied Pension Funds Adjudicator (PFA) Muvhango Lukhaimane has taken a firm stance against funds that withhold investigation reports under the guise of protecting personal information, warning that the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) should not be used to conceal poor investigations. In a recent determination, Lukhaimane made it clear that funds are obligated to share information with the PFA when requested without needing consent from beneficiaries. 'A fund cannot hide behind POPIA,' she said, adding that the PFA qualifies as a public body and 'is allowed to collect personal information when necessary for the conduct of proceedings'. The PFA was dealing with a complaint from the customary spouse of a deceased member of the Eskom Pension and Provident Fund. She was unhappy with the board's decision to award a large portion of the R560 160 death benefit to the deceased's life partner. The board had allocated: 28% each to the spouse and the life partner, 2% to five major children, 30% to one minor child, and 2% each to two other minor children. However, the deceased's nomination form indicated that he wished for 80% to go to his spouse, 10% to his life partner, and 5% each to two children. Lukhaimane ruled that the fund failed to conduct a thorough investigation into the financial dependency of each beneficiary. 'There is a duty on the fund to actively investigate the extent of each of the beneficiaries' financial dependency on the deceased,' she stressed. 'The fund failed to follow the beneficiary nomination. There must be a valid reason for not honouring a nomination.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕
