Social grants increment gives pensioners hope

Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini has welcomed the social grant increases announced by finance minister Pravin Gordhan in his budget speech.

With effect from April, the old age, care dependency and disability grants increase by R80 to R1 350 a month while the child support grant will go up with an average of 6.8 percent from R300 to R310 a month, with a further increase of R10 at midyear to R320. The increase of social grant values is in line with inflation forecast at 6.2 percent in 2014/15 financial year.

Dlamini said: “The provision of social assistance is a constitutional imperative and the main purpose is to combat poverty, especially amongst the poor and the most vulnerable members of our society.

“The increase in the value of social grants is a step in the right direction especially in these hard economic times occasioned by high cost of food, petrol and other basic necessities, and we welcome this move by the Minister of Finance.”

Old age grant recipient Nomsa Nkuna said: “Im glad that we will be having an increase on our grant and this is a great relief for most of us.

“Now we will be able to afford buying some of the necessities we couldn’t afford before the increase.”

Dlamini said: “Social Grants are one of the most effective means of alleviating child and adult poverty amongst the vulnerable who would have otherwise been subjected to extreme poverty for the rest of their lives.

“That is why we are working hard to improve the social grant system and to eliminate all barriers for those who are eligible.”

Child grant recipient Nhlanhla Khoza said: “Even though the increase is little, our children will have bread and butter in the morning when going to school, this is better than nothing.”