The short answer No, if your application for a disability grant is approved, you will only be paid from the day you applied. The whole question Dear Athalie I was diagnosed with a chronic mental illness while I was studying. I can't work properly but I am currently employed. If I apply for a disability grant, will I get paid from the date...

The short answer You first need to find out how your name was linked to an RDP house before you can apply. The long answer I have a number of questions: How was your name linked? Were you named as a dependent in your parents’ application? Did you apply together with a partner who got the house but you did not benefit? When...

Three years after the landmark Concourt ruling, very little has changed with their access to compensation By Kimberly Mutandiro It’s been three years since the Constitutional Court’s landmark ruling for domestic workers to be covered by the provisions of the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act (COIDA). But activists say very little has changed for most workers. According to...

The short answer No, but you can apply for a relative’s visa. The whole question Dear Athalie My daughter is a South African citizen. Does this mean I can apply for permanent residency? If not, are there other permits or visas I can apply for? The long answer You are not eligible to apply for permanent residence on the basis of your daughter being a...

The French multinational company wants to drill for oil and gas along the coastline near Cape Town, the West Coast and the Garden Route By Qaqamba Falithenjwa While Springbok supporters were painting the city centre green in Cape Town on Friday, environmental activists picketed outside Parliament to oppose TotalEnergies’ offshore drilling for oil and gas. Members of Extinction Rebellion 350 Africa, Green Connection, Project 90...

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...

Albert Street fire tragedy sparks renewed attempt to evict hundreds of people living in derelict downtown buildings By Kimberly Mutandiro Owners of a number of “dark buildings” in downtown Johannesburg have been trying to evict hundreds of people occupying their properties for more than a decade. In the aftermath of the fire at 80 Albert Street that killed 77 people, the...

The short answer The Director-General of Home Affairs can issue an order that will allow a foreign ex-spouse who applies for a visitor’s or relative’s visa to stay in the country. The long answer There was a recent case (June 2022) brought to the Western Cape High Court by several foreign ex-spouses wanting to stay in South Africa as they were contributing to their...

The short answer You can lay a complaint against him at the rental housing tribunal and also against the estate agent who tried to evict you illegally. The whole question Dear Athalie I have a verbal lease agreement for the house I am staying in, which will expire at the end of December 2023. There are no receipts of payment because our landlord...

The short answer You can submit a dispute of the deduction to SASSA The whole question Dear Grethen There is a life insurance company that has been deducting money from my SASSA child grant, but I never consented to this. How can I stop this? Can I get my money back? The long answer This is an unfortunate and long-standing problem. GroundUp wrote about this issue...