The short answer You could make a sworn affidavit explaining your circumstances, but you may need legal help. The whole question Dear Athalie How can my 19-year-old brother get a birth certificate when he has no proof of birth (he was born at home), his father's whereabouts are unknown, our late mother did not have an ID? My mother's death certificate is handwritten,...

Meanwhile, many R350 grant beneficiaries have been waiting months for their payments By Marecia Damons Many people who rely on the R350 Social Relief of Distress grant say they have been waiting for months for their payments. SASSA has acknowledged the backlog in payments. Social Development minister Lindiwe Zulu has proposed that the income threshold for SRD applicants be raised from...

Equal Education members demand Eastern Cape education MEC intervene By Johnnie Isaac Scores of learners and Equal Education members donned their school uniforms on Wednesday and marched to the Eastern Cape Department of Education in Zwelitsha. They are opposed to proposed amendments to minimum norms and standards for public school infrastructure. Under the new draft amendments, deadlines have been removed for when government must...

Hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans living in South Africa may find themselves undocumented on 1 January 2023. The Helen Suzman Foundation is trying to stop this. By Tania Broughton The Helen Suzman Foundation is taking the Minister of Home Affairs to court to set aside government’s decision to terminate the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP) at the end of the year. About...

Social protection provides a lifeline but it’s not enough, say researchers By Marecia Damons The Black Sash has called on the government to set up a task team to work out how to increase the R350-a-month Covid Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant to the food poverty line of R624. Speaking at the launch of a research report on social protection, Black Sash national director...

Since lockdown asylum seekers and refugees have been denied crucial services By Tariro Washinyira Refugees and asylum seekers are facing a myriad of problems because Home Affairs has not provided crucial in-person services for two years. Despite a blanket extension of permits various government departments and private sector facilities are not accepting valid documents, not even some Home Affairs officers. There...

The short answer "Voluntary donations" at no-fee schools are encouraged but not compulsory. The whole question Dear Athalie My child's school is charging R300 per learner for the security of the school. This is a no-fee school. Are they allowed to charge us for this? The long answer The South African Schools Act states that no public school in any quintile may charge any registration,...

Less money for public schools and health care, but tax breaks for corporates and individual taxpayers By Daniel McLaren, Zimbali Mncube, Cheryl-Lyn Selman and Lindi-K Khumalo As Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana delivered his maiden budget speech on 23 February 2022, protesters gathered outside Parliament demanding jobs, basic income, quality public services and wealth taxes as part of an alternative budget. These demands largely fell on deaf ears, as Godongwana’s budget...

The short answer Yes, but only if you still pass the means test. The whole question Dear Athalie I receive a disability grant from SASSA. What will happen to my grant if I inherit money? The long answer Because the disability grant, like all the other SASSA grants except for the foster care grant and the grant-in-aid, is means-tested, your income and assets have to...

Following a meeting with organisations last week, the presidency acknowledged the impact the grant has had in reducing poverty and hunger By Masego Mafata Civil society organisations met the President and relevant Ministers to plead for the R350 Covid Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant to be extended beyond the state of disaster. They want the president to set up a...