‘Survive on R2 400 per month’: South Africans dare leaders to live like pensioners

Older South Africans who depend on the SASSA Old Age Grant have landed at the centre of a heated online debate, with commenters on The South African’s Facebook page questioning whether the monthly payout even covers the basics.

The discussion erupted under a post asking whether grant recipients could survive on about R80 a day, roughly what the R2 400 grant works out to over a 30-day month.

‘Can they?’ – a challenge to politicians FROM PENSIONERS

Billy Brown turned the question back on the country’s leaders.

“Ask any of the top members to survive on R2400 per month. Can they?” he wrote.

His comment struck a nerve. Many pensioners stretch the grant across food, electricity, transport and medication, and in many households, grandparents use the same money to feed and school grandchildren. For them, R80 a day often has to cover more than one person.

‘Our grants are from taxpayers’

Dorothy M Msiza took aim at the idea that any political party deserves credit for social grants.

“Our grants are from taxpayers”, she wrote.

She is right about where the money comes from. Government funds social grants through the national budget, which draws on tax revenue, and SASSA administers payments on behalf of the Department of Social Development. No political party pays grants from its own pocket.

Msiza also raised a second, quieter concern: older recipients with little formal schooling face a higher risk of exploitation. Scammers regularly target pensioners with fake SMSes and phone calls. SASSA never asks beneficiaries for their PIN or card details over the phone.

What older persons receive in 2026

The Older Persons Grant currently pays R2 400 a month to recipients aged 60 and older.

Applicants must pass a means test. A single applicant may earn no more than R107 640 a year to qualify.

The debate comes in election week. SASSA paid November’s old-age grants on Friday, 30 October, to avoid clashing with the local government elections on Wednesday, 4 November.

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