South Africa receives prestigious ISSA award
The Minister of Social Development, Lindiwe Zulu on behalf of the department, received the International Social Security Association (ISSA) Good Practice Award in Social Security for Africa 2023 on Thursday at the ISSA Regional Social Security Forum for Africa Awards Ceremony. The event was held in Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire. According to a statement released by
The Minister of Social Development, Lindiwe Zulu on behalf of the department, received the International Social Security Association (ISSA) Good Practice Award in Social Security for Africa 2023 on Thursday at the ISSA
Regional Social Security Forum for Africa Awards Ceremony.
The event was held in Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire.
According to a statement released by Sassa, South Africa participated in the forum held from May 17 to 19.
For the Good Practice Award, a total of 138 entries were received from 48 member institutions in over 30 countries in Africa.
The award on the entry was titled, “Gradual extension of social security coverage to vulnerable children: The case of the child support grant, South Africa”.
It, therefore, recognises South Africa’s efforts in extending social security coverage to vulnerable children.
During the forum, South Africa showcased interventions implemented to ensure that its social security system provides much-needed protection to vulnerable children.
The government introduced the child support grant in 1998 to replace the racially based state maintenance grant, which had been in existence since the ’30s providing income protection to white families, excluding most black families and their children.
The new grant removed racially discriminatory features, which expanded the coverage to all eligible children.
The grant has grown over the years with an increase in the age limit from seven to 18 years old with just over 13 million children now receiving it monthly amounting to approximately R76b per annum.
As of June 1, 2022, the department introduced a supplementary provision as an additional payment to the CSG to the value of R250 bringing the total amount to R750.
This was introduced to assist relatives taking care of orphans and children living in child-headed households to provide for their basic needs and promote family preservation.
Zulu said: “We view the CSG as an investment the government is making in the lives of our children, especially those from poor and vulnerable households. The State continues to play a pivotal role in the social protection of children, ranging from social grants to free schooling and free health care among others.”
At the same award ceremony, the South African Social Security Agency received two certificates of merit with special mention on social relief of distress for victims affected by regional floods in the KwaZulu-Natal and social relief for people in distress at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond.
The agency also received a certificate of merit on the introduction of electronic deductions on funeral insurance premiums for social grants beneficiaries by the South African Social Security Agency.
