DA Reveals Social Grants Will Be Cut In 2024: Sassa
It’s been a long and winding road for Sassa Social Grants, but now it may be time to say goodbye. The recently published budget reveals that Come 1 March 2024, social grants will be affected during the 2024/2025 financial year. The DA is deeply concerned about this matter as it will affect millions of South Africans who rely on those grants.
“On page 35 of the 2023 budget review, the ANC government indicates it will entirely abolish the Social Relief of Distress grant on 1 March 2024,” read the statement.
According to them, They believe other grants will be decreased due to financial crisis. But the DA looks to bring up an emergency plan in response to this matter, to ensure social grants remain in place.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has released a statement highlighting certain issues within the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa). One of the issues according to the DA are: since November 2022 beneficiaries of the Old Age Pension, Child Support grant, and Disability grant continue to be turned away from Sassa pay points. Which has escalated to some being told there are no funds in their accounts.
However, the Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, all permanent social grants will be increased by at least 5% during the next financial year. This grant increase for the 2023/2024 financial year was revealed during the 2023 Budget Speech.
The following grants will be increased:
- Old Age grant
- Old Age grant (above 75 years old)
- War Veterans grant
- Disability grant
- Care Dependency grant
- Foster Care grant
- Child Support grant
Grant increase takes place in October 2023. More money will be spent on social grants due to the increasing number of grant recipients in the country.
According to Minister Godongwana, around R1.1 trillion will go to Social Development over the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) which will be for social grants, the provision of welfare services and strengthening advocacy for the empowerment of women, youth and people living with disabilities.