The grant has reduced child hunger, but 1.2-million more children are short of food than in 2019 By Marecia Damons The Child Support Grant reaches over 13-million children but remains below the food poverty line, leaving many households unable to meet basic nutritional needs. According to the latest Child Gauge Report by the Children’s Institute, child poverty rates fell after the...

I tried to register my son a month after he turned 18 for an SRD grant but the website says his ID and grant is already active. What can we do? The short answer SASSA says that if you suspect wrongdoing like that, you must immediately contact their fraud hotline at 0800 601 011, and give them the ID number. The long answer SASSA says it...

JDG Trading sold disability or retrenchment insurance to people who were already disabled or unemployed By Ohene Yaw Ampofo-Anti An insurance product infringes on the rights of social grant beneficiaries, the Gauteng High Court has ruled. The product offered disability and retrenchment insurance as part of a bundle. But many clients, especially social grant beneficiaries, were already disabled or unemployed. Because...

The Children’s Institute has taken government to court over its late birth registration backlog By Tania Broughton At least 250,000 people have waited up to seven years for Home Affairs to process their late birth registration applications. Without birth certificates, children face numerous complications in life and struggle to access schools and grants. The Children’s Institute wants the Western Cape High...

The short answer If you can't afford school fees, you should apply for a fee exemption or negotiate a payment plan before legal action is taken. The long answer Parents do have to pay fees at public schools unless they are “non-fee schools”, but if a parent or parents cannot afford to pay, they can apply for partial or full fee exemption....

The short answer The true beneficiary can officially revoke the power of attorney that the person has assumed, and report the fraud to SASSA. The whole question Dear Athalie My father has a disability. His sister, my aunt, applied for a disability grant for him without his knowledge or consent, and had been collecting it in secret for three years. She had also been renting out...

The short answer No. SASSA says unequivocally that no one should give their SASSA cards to any other person. The whole question Dear Athalie My elderly relative is living in a frail care facility. The staff took her SASSA card to buy "extra things" not provided by the home, like snacks, etc. But they never provide receipts, even after I asked! I eventually...

The short answer Different municipalities have their own policies. Check with yours and if you can apply, discuss installing a pre-paid meter with your landlord. The whole question Dear Athalie I am a pensioner renting a granny bedsitter on a property shared with my landlord. I'm worried about how much my landlord is charging me for water and electricity. He charges me R3...

The short answer You need to register as indigent to receive free municipal services. The whole question Dear Athalie I read in one of your articles that indigent people are allowed 6,000 litres of water. How does that work and how can I apply? I live in eThekwini Municipality. The long answer The Free Basic Water (FBW) policy of 6,000 litres a month was established...

SASSA pays 26-million grants every month By Daniel Steyn The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) spent R232-billion on social grants in 2022 - about 11% of the national budget. Social grant spending, when adjusted for inflation, has quadrupled since 1994. The vast majority of beneficiaries receive either the Child Support Grant or Old Age Grant. Grant amounts are about the...