The number of social grants paid in South Africa has risen to 26.6 million, GroundUp reported. The figure was about 12 million in 2006, when the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) began operating.
The latest total includes the Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant. As a share of the estimated population, grants have grown from about 25% to 41%, according to the report.
The biggest change came during the Covid pandemic. The government introduced the SRD grant to support people without income, and it added about eight million people to the system.
The grant is now worth R370 a month. It was meant to be temporary relief, but it has been extended several times. The latest extension runs until March 2028.
The number of people receiving grants peaked at nearly 29 million in 2021/22. Without the SRD grant, the number on regular grants grew from about 12 million in 2006/07 to 18.8 million in 2025/26.
Most regular beneficiaries receive the child support grant. The number of children on this grant rose from 7.9 million in 2006/07 to about 12.6 million in 2025/26. People on the old-age grant nearly doubled over the same time, from 2.2 million to 4.2 million.
One of the fastest periods of growth came between 2009 and 2012. In those years, older children became eligible for the child support grant.
Government spending on grants has grown along with the numbers. It has stayed stable at just over 11% of total government spending, the report said.
The number of regular beneficiaries fell during 2025/26, from about 19.3 million to 18.8 million. That is a drop of 2.2%. Sassa’s 2025/26 annual report showed that most of the decline was in the child support and foster care grants.
Treasury expects the numbers to keep falling. In its October Medium Term Budget Policy Statement, it projected 17.8 million regular beneficiaries in 2026/27 and 17.1 million by 2029/30. Treasury expects stronger verification measures to save R13.1 billion over three years.
Sassa has stepped up its reviews of who qualifies, including checks against bank and government records. Treasury said the aim was to find grants that were approved incorrectly or through fraud. It said the aim was not to remove support from people who still qualify.
The government is still working on a proposed Basic Income Support policy for unemployed adults of working age. The policy has been delayed, and Cabinet has asked for stronger links between income support and job opportunities.
The Department of Social Development aims to return the revised policy to Cabinet by March 2027.
Source: this article is based on reporting by Moneyweb. Image: Moneyweb. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Business desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Anelisa Nkuna covers business and money news for Tzaneen Voice. Anelisa reports on the rand, fuel prices, interest rates, jobs, Eskom, Transnet, farming and company results. The aim is simple: explain what the numbers mean for household budgets, small businesses and workers in South Africa.