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...

The short answer Generally you can only apply for citizenship through naturalisation if you've only lived in South Africa until you were 18, but you could ask Home Affairs for an exception. The whole question Dear Athalie I was born in South Africa to foreign parents but I had to leave the country when I was 14 because my mother passed away and...

A bill to decriminalise sex work was sent back to the justice department for redrafting about two years ago By Liezl Human Sex workers are calling for a moratorium on arrests and fines until politicians mull over finalising the redraft of a bill to decriminalise sex work. This comes nearly two years after the bill was withdrawn and sent back to...

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....

Equal Education argues late applicants are blocked from accessing schooling. But department argues that parents need to apply on time. By Ohene Yaw Ampofo-Anti Equal Education wants the Western Cape High Court to declare the Western Cape Education Department’s school admissions policy unconstitutional. The organisation says the system does not make provision for parents or caregivers who apply late for school...

The Department of Social Development is to appeal the recent ruling. But #PayTheGrants and the Institute for Economic Justice say it should and can be implemented By Marecia Damons The High Court in Pretoria has ruled that regulations limiting access to the R370-a-month Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant are unconstitutional and invalid. The court has ordered the government to increase the grant, raise...

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 The loan repayments are contingent on your income and only begin when you are working and have an income of more than R30,000 annually. NSFAS also liaises with SARS to establish the income earned. The whole question Dear Athalie I received a loan from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) in 2017 for my first year at university. For my...

Minister of Justice opposed the case to have “defence of subjective consent to rape” scrapped By Geoffrey Allsop The Johannesburg High Court has delivered a significant judgment. It has declared unconstitutional the defence of “subjective consent” to a charge of rape. Judge Selby Baqwa said such a defence unjustifiably violates the constitutional rights of rape survivors and complainants to equality, human dignity, privacy and...