SASSA Spends R267 Billion on Social Grants in 2024/2025, Reaching Over 28 Million Vulnerable South Africans
Cape Town – The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) poured R267 billion into social grants during the 2024/2025 financial year, providing a lifeline to more than 28 million people across the country. This massive spend, which includes the Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant, helped put food on tables and protect the dignity of children, the elderly, and other needy groups.
Social Development Minister Sisisi Tolashe hailed the effort as a turnaround for the agency, praising its work in boosting services and fighting poverty. During a briefing to Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Social Development on Wednesday, she stressed how the grants have grown to cover more families, even as challenges like fraud and long queues persist. With South Africa’s economy still recovering, this investment – about 3.6% of GDP – shows the government’s push to support those hit hardest by job losses and rising costs.
The spending marks a slight rise from the National Treasury’s estimate of R266.21 billion, reflecting extra efforts to handle growing demand. As grants increase by R10 from October 2025, many hope this will ease the burden on households facing high food and energy prices. Tolashe called it the largest expansion yet for social assistance, but warned that more work is needed to cut fraud and improve how people apply and get paid.
Breakdown of the Massive Grant Spend
The R267 billion covered a wide range of grants, with the SRD alone reaching over nine million South Africans. This temporary help, started during the Covid-19 crisis, has become a key tool to fight short-term hardship. Normal grants grew by 0.6%, from 19.1 million beneficiaries in March 2024 to 19.2 million by March 2025.
Key highlights include the Child Support Grant, which supported 13.1 million children – the biggest chunk of the programme. This monthly payout helps families cover basics like school fees and nutrition, cutting child poverty in tough times. The Old Age Grant went to 4.1 million seniors, giving them steady income to live with dignity. Other grants, like those for disability, foster care, and war veterans, made up the rest, showing SASSA’s broad reach.
Overall, the social assistance net now covers over 28 million when adding SRD recipients, up from past years as more people qualify amid economic woes. The spend is part of a bigger social wage package, with government planning to pump nearly R1 trillion into support like health, education, and housing over the next few years.
Praise for Turning the Tide on Service Delivery
Minister Tolashe gave a thumbs up to SASSA and the National Development Agency for their hard work in steadying the ship. She pointed to stable leadership and filling key jobs as reasons for better results. “Other highlights for the year under review include the social assistance programme, which witnessed its largest expansion yet, reaching over 28 million eligible individuals,” Tolashe told the committee.
She shared stories from her trips around the country, where she heard from frontline staff and clients about what needs fixing. Through programmes like the Integrated Community Outreach, SASSA is getting closer to communities, taking services to remote spots and cutting travel hassles for applicants.
Acting CEO Brenton Van Vrede backed this up, saying SASSA handled 1.8 million new grant applications – beating their goal of 1.6 million. They also zipped through 98% of SRD requests efficiently, showing tech upgrades are paying off. “We remain committed to ensuring that no one is left behind and to tackling child and adult poverty now and in the future,” Tolashe added, stressing the grants’ role in building a fairer society.
Cracking Down on Fraud and Corruption
A big win for the year was SASSA’s fight against cheats. They looked into 483 fraud cases, wrapping up 478 with strong action. This included busting eight officials in Gauteng on fraud charges, nabbing money lenders holding SASSA cards, and exposing staff in Mpumalanga who faked grants.
These steps have saved millions and built trust in the system. Van Vrede said catching crooks early stops leaks in the budget, making sure money goes to those who really need it. With asset limits for grants like old age and disability rising to R1,524,600 for singles from April 2025, checks are getting tighter to keep things fair.
But fraud is not the only hurdle. Long lines at offices and glitches in online systems still frustrate users. Tolashe promised ongoing tweaks to make applying easier and faster, like more mobile units and better digital tools.
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