The top-up, which took effect in June, follows a cabinet decision several months earlier to assist families with children left orphaned by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sassa CEO Busisiwe Memela-Khambula. Picture: @The_DSD/Twitter
JOHANNESBURG – The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) said that there were only 16,000 beneficiaries of the child support grant top-up.
The top-up, which took effect in June, follows a cabinet decision several months earlier to assist families with children left orphaned by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Government added another R240 to the R480 child support grant.
Sassa CEO Busisiwe Memela-Khambula said that she was worried as the number of beneficiaries remained low.
The agency has called on relatives taking care of orphans to apply for the additional R240.
This will bring the child support grant up from R480 to a total of R720.
Memela-Khambula said that the top-up was necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pandemic increased the number of orphans, adding pressure to some already indigenous families.
Memela-Khambula said that applicants who meet the criteria can expect a one-month turnaround timeframe.
“The numbers are still relatively low and I think the key is for us to go out to communities,” Memela-Khambula said.
Meanwhile, the R350 COVID grant recipients have dropped to 7.5 million, from 10 million.
The substantial drop follows stricter checks and balances in place for applicants.
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