Accessing Social Grants
Investigating Eligibility, Exclusion and Policy Responses
South Africa
These research projects examine specific social grant administration in real life across South Africa at different levels of social assistance service delivery. This ongoing research is in part funded by The University of Cape Town’s Vice Chancellor’s Social Responsiveness Award.
Overall objective: To investigate ‘what it takes’ to apply for and receive various social grants in South Africa who those who are deemed eligible but are not receiving their grant.
Specific Objectives:
To review and better understand changes overtime in receipt of social grants across age and province.
To explore national level trends for beneficiaries who experience barriers to accessing social grants.
Advocate for evidence based national and provincial strategies for improving access to social grants.
This project seeks to explore access to social grants for older persons and in older-person households. Over 4 million older persons access the Older Person’s Grant, and it is a lifeline in many households. In a context where 92% of household income for older persons is comprised of social grant income, older persons and older persons households are deeply impacted by changes to the Grant in Aid, Foster Care Grant, Child Support Grant and the Social Relief of Distress Grant. This project explores changes to the design and implementation of grants that impact older persons and their households. It investigates everyday challenges in receiving grants.
The study works with 100 older persons and their families exploring the receipt of social grants over time. We adopt multiple methodologies, including ethnography, in examining how grant administration processes exclude older persons.
A key part of the work is advocating for increased and improved access to grants especially for older persons. In doing this, we work alongside our partners, including the Social Security Agency South Africa, as well as the Department of Social Development, to ensure older persons and their households
Project Partners
Western Cape Care Alliance of Older Persons, Institute of Economic Justice (IEJ), Black Sash, Universal Basic Income Coalition (UBIC), DSD and SASSA
Project Reports
Scroll through the list below and select a report to view or download on ZivaHub.