NATIONAL NEWS - The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) will disburse social grants to beneficiaries in the first week of December, the last payments for the year.

The agency administers more than 19 million grant payments, including the Older Persons’ Pension Grant, Disability Grant, War Veterans Grant, Care Dependency Grant, Foster Child Grant, Child Support Grant, Child Support Grant Top-Up, and Grant-in-Aid.

Grant payment dates for December

Sassa grant payment dates:

• Older Persons Grant – Tuesday, 2 December 2025
• Disability Grant – Wednesday, 3 December 2025
• Children’s Grants – Thursday, 4 December 2025

Sassa grant amounts:

• Old Age (60-74 years) and Disability grants – R2 315
• Old Age (75+ years) Grant – R2 335
• War Veterans Grant – R2 315
• Care Dependency Grant – R2 315
• Child Support Grant – R560
• Foster Care Grant – R1 250
• SRD Grant – R370

SRD grant extended

The Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant has been extended for another 14 months, taking it through to March 2027. 

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced the decision during his Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) in Cape Town on Wednesday.

The extension builds on a previous decision made in May, which had moved the grant’s end date to March 2026.

Godongwana said the extension shows the government’s commitment to protecting vulnerable households while maintaining fiscal discipline.

“We remain focused on providing a safety net for the most vulnerable, while continuing with measures to stabilise public finances,” he said.

Social spending remains protected

The MTBPS also reaffirmed that social grants such as old-age pensions, child support and disability grants continue to absorb the largest share of the social development budget.

These allocations will remain protected and will be adjusted to maintain their real value over the next three years.

“About 61% of consolidated non-interest spending over the next three years will go towards government-provided services and benefits that reduce the cost of living for citizens,” said Godongwana.

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Stricter checks on applicants

The minister confirmed that the extension will come with tighter eligibility controls. Applications will be cross-checked against tax records, Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) data and the national population register to ensure only qualifying beneficiaries receive the grant.

Godongwana said the government will continue exploring long-term options for sustainable income support beyond 2027.