Social Security

Section 27(1)(c) of the Constitution provides for the right to social security: “Everyone has the right to have access to social security, including, if they are unable to support themselves and their dependents, appropriate social assistance.” According to section 27(2), the state is responsible for the progressive realisation of this right within available resources.

South Africa has a wide-reaching social assistance programme, with over 18 million grants paid monthly. These grants are needed in the context of persistent inequality, poverty and unemployment. Research has consistently shown the positive effect of social assistance, for example, it has been estimated that if it were not for the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant introduced by government in May 2020 at the start of the pandemic, 2-2.8 million people would have entered food poverty in 2020 and 2021. In addition, the Child Support Grant (CSG) has been evaluated positively for its household-level impact, and in particular in female-headed households.

Public interest legal services have played an important role in ensuring a less discriminatory and more procedurally fair social security regime. Civil society action, which has included legal action or the threat of it, as well as policy and media advocacy, has played an important role in achieving the expansion of the social security net.

Follow the links below to read more about the work that public interest legal services do:

https://www.pils.org.za/about/research-project/

https://www.pils.org.za/about/other-pils-research/

Organisations Working in the Space

  • The Black Sash
  • Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa (SERI)
  • Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR)
  • Legal Resources Centre (LRC)
  • Centre for Child Law
  • Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS)