The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) in Mpumalanga requests all qualifying parents or primary care-givers of children between ages 0 to18 years to apply for a Child Support Grant (CSG).
Primary care-givers,such as grandparents or a person/s responsible for looking after a child, could also qualify for CSG.
The intention is to to ensure that children attend and complete school, assist poor households’ access sufficient nutritional food and to cater for the basic needs of children,
To qualify, the parent or primary care-giver must be a permanent South African citizen, or refugee. Both the applicant and the child must reside in South Africa.
Documentation required include a 13 digit bar-coded ID document, salary advice where necessary, and the primary care-giver may not apply for more than six non-biological children.
The child may not be cared for in a state institution and applicants must meet the requirements of the means test.
The means test evaluates the person’s income and expenditure to determine if the applicant meets the requirements.
The income threshold for an individual applicant must not exceed R42 000 and, if married, R84 000 per annum.
It takes about 30 working days for an application to be approved or declined. SASSA Mpumalanga also warns parents and care-givers not to misuse the money by gambling, buying alcohol and other unnecessary activities because it is a crime and can lead to prosecution.
For more information, contact the toll free number 0800 60 10 11between 08:00 and 16:00 from Monday to Friday.