SASSA grant recipient says elderly are neglected by government

A North West pensioner who has relied on the Older Persons Grant for more than five years says rising costs leave her struggling every month.

Sydney Kinnear has spent years navigating the challenges of surviving on a government grant.

Kinnear, now in her late sixties lives in North West province and receives the Older Persons Grant, which provides R2 400 per month to South Africans aged 60 and older.

Unemployed

Despite this support, Kinnear regularly fails to make ends meet. She remains unemployed but actively seeks work to supplement her income.

Kinnear lives alone in a shared family home and has no dependants to support. Even with only herself to care for, she finds the grant amount insufficient.

She uses her monthly payment for a mix of essential expenses including food, utilities and other basic needs.

The money runs out before each month ends, leaving her in a difficult position during the final weeks.

SASSA grant barely covers basic needs for pensioner

Her frustration with the system extends beyond the payment amount. Kinnear has experienced late or missing payments in the past, adding uncertainty to an already precarious financial situation.

She receives her grant through a Postbank account, which should provide some reliability.

However, payment delays have caused significant stress and hardship when they occur.

These disruptions can mean the difference between eating and going hungry for recipients who depend entirely on grant income.

When asked about her experience with SASSA services, Kinnear rated them as poor.

She identified long queues and wait times at SASSA offices as one of her biggest challenges. Finding clear and accurate information online has also proven difficult.

These administrative hurdles add unnecessary burden to someone already struggling with limited resources.

While Kinnear lives within five kilometres of SASSA facilities, many recipients must travel much further and spend precious grant money on transport just to resolve issues.

Rising food prices deepen concerns for grant recipients

The cost of living remains Kinnear’s primary concern. Rising food prices have eroded the purchasing power of grant payments, leaving recipients like her with less each month despite the amount staying relatively stable.

South Africa’s inflation has hit essential goods particularly hard, with food costs increasing faster than general inflation in recent years.

For the 18 million South Africans who receive SASSA grants, these increases represent a genuine threat to survival rather than mere inconvenience.

Kinnear’s comment to The South African captured her frustration clearly. She stated that the government demands a minimum salary for workers but neglects the elderly who built the nation.

This sentiment reflects a broader feeling among pensioners that their contributions over decades of work have been forgotten.

Many elderly South Africans find themselves caught between rising costs and fixed incomes that fail to keep pace with economic reality.

When asked what single change would most improve her life, Kinnear answered without hesitation. She wants SASSA to increase the grant amount.

This call echoes across the country as recipients struggle with payments that have not kept up with inflation.

Kinnear was also unaware of additional support programmes that might be available to her, highlighting gaps in communication between government services and the people who need them most.

With unemployment exceeding 32 percent nationally, finding supplementary work remains extremely challenging even for those willing and able to take on employment.

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