It’s been fairly the yr for SASSA Old Age Grants in 2024 whenever you have a look at it with the good thing about hindsight. The yr began out beneath a darkish looming cloud. We had been five-months out from the May General Election, and all of the ANC’s electioneering centred on South African Social Security Agency grants. The ANC, determined to take care of management in authorities, trumpeted the success of its ‘pro-poor policies’ in a bid to safe the favored vote.

President Cyril Ramaphosa celebrated our 28-million grant recipients being the highest anywhere in Africa. Of these, 4-million elderly benefited from SASSA Old Age Grants. However, February’s funds speech from Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana had a unique chorus. The minister was candidly outspoken about the population’s over-reliance on government grants. Because the Department of Social Development’s funds is drawn from simply 7-million taxpayers. And that is an unsustainable equation within the longterm …

SASSA OLD AGE GRANTS 2024

Likewise, greater than 150 000 SASSA profiles had been out of the blue suspended early within the yr, seemingly for no purpose. This left many SASSA recipients in a tricky area, with the company arguing it was not an IT malfunction. Instead, SASSA stated it was as a consequence of incorrect banking particulars offered when making use of. And that common financial institution verification was finest trade observe.

As the yr constructed in direction of the May election, you had the EFF’s Julius Malema saying SASSA Old Age Grants in 2024 had been inadequate and have to be doubled. By elevating them from R2 080 and R2 100 (on the time) to R4 180 per 30 days beneficiaries may really afford meals, transport and electrical energy. This was in gentle of the truth that most recipients of SASSA Old Age Grants are supporting a number of relations within the family, in keeping with a University of Cape Town (UCT) research.

APRIL 2024 INCREASES

Folding to civilian strain, the ANC high brass lastly elevated SASSA SRD grants from R350 to R370 in April to attempt win favour on the polls. Likewise, SASSA Old Age Grants elevated over Easter to R2 180 (60 years outdated) and R2 200 (over 75 years outdated), respectively. But there was extra bother rising concerning the safety of the SASSA system and identification theft. As a consequence, key adjustments had been applied by the DSD on the restoration means of irregular funds and suspension of accounts.

Newly gazetted rules now stated the division may take again and “recover all monies paid to any person in the event that such a person was not entitled to benefit from the grant”. This represented a zero-tolerance method to any questionable exercise and noticed the implementation of biometric verification to halt establish theft. Something many poor beneficiaries have battled with ever since.

MINISTER ZULU OUSTED

Following the May 2024 election, the nation underwent a brand new daybreak by way of the Government of National Unity (GNU). The inhabitants had spoken, and the ANC majority was out. So was Minister Lindiwe Zulu. In her place got here Minister Sisisi Tolashe to supervise all DSD and SASSA actions. Formerly the President of the ANC Women’s League (ANCWL), Al Jama-ah’s Ganief Hendricks was named as her deputy minister.

Minister Tolashe’s time period in workplace began off comparatively easily, and plenty of celebrated the SASSA Old Age Grants enhance in October. This raised advantages to R2 190 (60 years outdated) and R2 210 (75 and older). But there was bother on the horizon internally. The minister suspended SASSA CEO Busisiwe Memela with pay and changed her with Gauteng Regional Executive Themba Matlou as performing CEO with speedy impact. This is till a full investigation into Memela’s appointment is full.

OUTLOOK FOR 2025

The first SASSA Old Age Grants disbursed within the New Year happen on Friday 3 January 2025. And, past that, Finance Minister Godongwana authorised a R2.7-billion enhance in social welfare spending for 2025 in his mid-term funds assertion. And whereas there may be nonetheless no official phrase on what the SASSA grant increases will be in April 2025, you’ll be able to click on HERE to learn all about our predicted 5% enhance.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE HAPPEN IN 2025?

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