NATIONAL NEWS - South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) beneficiaries can start preparing for September’s grant payments.
Here are the official payment dates for September:
- Old Age Grant: Tuesday, 2 September
- Disability Grant: Wednesday, 3 September
- All other Sassa grants, including child grants: Thursday, 4 September
Pretoria Rekord reports that Sassa has reminded beneficiaries to avoid rushing to collection points on the first day, as funds will remain available in their accounts until they are needed.
All social grants, except the Social Relief of Distress grant, increased in April this year.
Delivering the 2025 Budget Speech in Parliament earlier this year, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana stated that the number of social grant beneficiaries – excluding those receiving the SRD grant – was expected to rise to around 19 million (2025/26) and 19.3 million (2027/28) due to a growing population of older persons.
Godongwana said that for 2025/26, social grants were allocated approximately R284.7b.
“As announced by the president in the State of the Nation Address, the SRD was to be used as a 'basis for the introduction of a sustainable form of income support for unemployed people.
“The future form and nature of the SRD would be informed by the outcome of the review of active labour market programmes, which was expected to be completed by September.
“The truth was that ours was one of the most comprehensive social safety nets among emerging economies. This reflected our commitment to addressing poverty and inequality, while keeping our spending sustainable,” he said.
The grant increases that took effect in April were:
- Old age grant: Increased from R2 185 to R2 315
- War veterans grant: Increased from R2 205 to R2 335
- Disability grant: Increased from R2 185 to R2 315
- Foster care grant: Increased from R1 180 to R1 250
- Care dependency grant: Increased from R2 185 to R2 315
- Child support grant: Increased from R530 to R560
- Grant-in-aid: Increased from R530 to R560
In the Budget Review, National Treasury stated that the budget for social grants was increased by R8.2b over the medium term to account for higher living costs.
“An amount of R35.2b was allocated to extend the payment at the current SRD rate of R370 per month per beneficiary, including administration costs,” the department said.
For any queries or assistance regarding your grant, contact the Sassa toll-free line at 0800 60 10 11 or visit your nearest Sassa office.
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