11.9 million social grant recipients: How many are truly deserving?

The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) is a lifeline for many households, with child support, pension and disability grants.

This money puts food on the table and helps families survive from one day to the next, but…

And it’s a big but: we must truthfully admit these very grants are received by some who see them as pocket money, hair salon payments and funding for a night out at the tavern.

In short, these funds are not serving the purpose for which they were meant.

While shopping, a friend and I bee-lined for a till where we were fifth in line. We couldn’t believe our luck and did wonder briefly why others in the long queues didn’t join us.

Well, our luck ran out when a manager told us our queue was for Sassa withdrawals only.

I remember looking at the people in our queue: the beautiful hairstyles, the beautiful outfits … Not that you should be unkempt if you qualify for a social grant, but are some of the recipients really as deserving as they pretend to be when filling out their applications?

I know of at least three people who have full-time jobs but still get a grant for their children.

I know of someone who was getting a child support grant for a child that did not even live with them.

So, let us be honest: while the rest of us are raising children through working hard and paying tax, some are just there for the freebie. That makes us hard workers blessers – and we did not even know it.

A grant of R350 may seem insignificant, but when you consider how many people actually do receive the grant – in 2015, there were an estimated 11.9 million recipients – how many of those really deserve the grant and how
many are just abusing a system aimed at helping the poor?

Let us be reasonable … the welfare system is overloaded with undeserving people, while those who desperately need the help cannot access it.

One wonders how those that need these grants the most will get by … alas, our reactive government will lead us once again to nowhere.