Budget | Mixed reactions: Pensioners grateful but struggling, young parents frustrated

Social grant recipients have responded with mixed reactions to the grant increases announced by finance minister Enoch Godongwana on Wednesday, with many elderly people saying they were satisfied.

Delivering the budget speech for 2025, Godongwana announced that all social grants other than  the social relief of distress (SRD) grant would increase. 

Old age social grants will increase by R130 to R2,315 per month.

Soweto pensioner Mogomotsi Maphakela expressed gratitude for the increase. “The R130 increase is not bad, it’s better than nothing,” he said.

“I am grateful that my pension allows me to contribute R300 every month to my stokvel, but I strongly believe that the government should cut unnecessary expenses, such as reducing the number of deputy ministers and security convoys for officials,” said Maphakela.

Another pensioner, Salome Mtshali, was less optimistic. “The money is just not enough,” she said.

“With that R2,000, I buy basic items like maize meal and sugar and pay my policies.” To stretch her budget, she buys cheaper food such as chicken feet, cow heels and spinach.

Mtshali also highlighted the challenges of accessing healthcare. “When I fall sick, I can’t afford a doctor. I have to go to the clinic and sit there for hours until my back aches,” she said.

Meanwhile, child grant recipients have lamented the minimal increase granted by Godongwana, who only allocated a R30 increase for child support grants. 

Amanda Ndaba, a 22-year-old mother of two who receives both the child support and SRD grants, said she battles to make ends meet as her income barely covers her expenses.

“I feel bad that the SRD grant is extended until next year March, and that VAT is going up while the SRD grant remains unchanged,” she said.

To supplement her income, Ndaba sells sweets, collects cans and receives help from the father of her children.

Ndaba told TimesLIVE how she had to prioritise basic items like maize meal, meat and vegetables and cut out things like yoghurt which she said is now a luxury for her children.

“We buy vegetables like cabbage, spinach, and potatoes from street vendors, who are kind enough to give us credit when we don’t have money. We pay them later when we can.”

Nicole Scheepers, 29, an unemployed mother of two, also relies heavily on the child support grant. She feels the increment is insufficient.

“They could have at least raised it by R50 or R100, like they did for pensioners. Children are the future and they need proper support,” she said.

Scheepers has been facing additional financial challenges, having applied for the SRD grant since 2022 without approval. To make matters worse, the child support grant often falls short in covering her children’s basic needs, particularly for school.

“The father of my children helps me out when he can, but it’s still a struggle,” Scheepers explained. “I use some of the grant money to pay off debts I incurred just to put food on the table for my children.”

“What is R370? It’s just for survival” Johannes Simelane said. 

Simelane, a 51-year-old community patroller, dismissed the SRD grant as inadequate.

“What is R370? It doesn’t even cover the basics,” he said. He pointed out that the cost of essential items like maize meal, sugar and oil had skyrocketed, making it impossible for grant recipients to survive on that amount alone.”

TimesLIVE