Dimakatso Motaung, 27, from QwaQwa, who receives a grant for her one-year-old child, also expressed disappointment with the increase. “It won’t make a difference because they have increased VAT, so things are going to be more expensive than they are right now. We are struggling. There are no job opportunities and we remain unemployed,” she said.
Old age grant recipients who spoke to the Sowetan said they appreciated the R130 increase and that it was better than what they had received in the past.
Joyce Sithole, 70, from Soweto said: “Now I can buy groceries, pay credit accounts and the burial society, and still be left with some money to spoil myself. Before I would skip paying burial accounts. I am happy that our government is taking [pensioners] seriously and understands that we do so much with this money.”
Sophy Nkomo, 69, from Limpopo expressed satisfaction with the increase, saying the extra cash would make a difference.
“I will be able to get 2kg chicken portions, which can last a while. We appreciate the minister’s efforts, but we also hope that they will be able to increase it again as time goes, because food is expensive,” she said.
SowetanLIVE
Grant increases: Moms complain as pensioners applaud
Image: Werner Hills
Palesa Kibi, 28, a mother of two boys, says the R30 increase in the child support grant is not enough as she will be left with just R10 after paying her youngest son’s crèche fees.
She said she was expecting finance minister Enoch Godongwana, who tabled his budget in parliament yesterday, to increase the child support grant by at least R50.
“My one-year-old attends crèche and it’s R550, which means I will be left with R10 from the R560 grant. I cannot even buy him baby food with that money. Also, I cannot remove him from crèche. They [the government] should at least consider our children the same way they consider the needs of pensioners and those living with disability,” said Kibi.
Godongwana increased the old age grant by R130, which means recipients will now get R2,320. The disability and war veterans grants also went up by R130, while the foster care grant was hiked by R70.
Dimakatso Motaung, 27, from QwaQwa, who receives a grant for her one-year-old child, also expressed disappointment with the increase. “It won’t make a difference because they have increased VAT, so things are going to be more expensive than they are right now. We are struggling. There are no job opportunities and we remain unemployed,” she said.
Old age grant recipients who spoke to the Sowetan said they appreciated the R130 increase and that it was better than what they had received in the past.
Joyce Sithole, 70, from Soweto said: “Now I can buy groceries, pay credit accounts and the burial society, and still be left with some money to spoil myself. Before I would skip paying burial accounts. I am happy that our government is taking [pensioners] seriously and understands that we do so much with this money.”
Sophy Nkomo, 69, from Limpopo expressed satisfaction with the increase, saying the extra cash would make a difference.
“I will be able to get 2kg chicken portions, which can last a while. We appreciate the minister’s efforts, but we also hope that they will be able to increase it again as time goes, because food is expensive,” she said.
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