A KwaZulu-Natal pensioner says his SASSA Older Persons’ Grant no longer stretches far enough to keep food on the table, and he wants the government to rethink how much the grant pays.
The retired man, who is over 65 and asked not to be named, has received the grant for more than five years. He told The South African that the grant does not cover his basic needs and that he regularly struggles to make ends meet. By the end of each month, nothing is left.
Why this pensioner points to the minimum wage
The pensioner uses his grant for a mix of expenses. He names the cost of living and rising food prices as his biggest financial worry.
Asked what one thing he would change about SASSA, he chose a higher grant amount. In his comment to The South African, he went a step further:
“Increase the grant to the basic minimum wage in South Africa, which is in line with the inflation rate.”
The gap he points to is wide. The Older Person’s Grant rose by R80 to R2 400 a month in April 2026. The national minimum wage increased to R30.23 an hour on 1 March, which works out to about R5 895 a month for someone on a standard 45-hour week.
That means a full-time minimum-wage worker earns nearly R3 500 more each month than a pensioner receives from SASSA. The grant covers only about 40% of a minimum-wage salary.
A smooth system that still falls short
His complaint is not about SASSA’s service. He says receiving his grant has been straightforward, with the money deposited directly into his bank account, and he rates the agency’s communication as adequate. He has also applied for additional government support and was successful.
Even so, the money runs out. His experience reflects a wider problem for older South Africans on fixed incomes: a payment that arrives on time offers little comfort when it cannot keep pace with prices at the till.
Win R2 000 in the South African SASSA grant survey
If you receive a SASSA grant and want to share your story, we want to hear from you.
Take part in our survey and stand a chance to win R2 000. Your responses help us tell the stories that matter.