SASSA pensioners and other grant recipients said they have nothing to plan for the festive season. They said their monthly grants barely cover basic needs.
The comments were posted on The South African’s Facebook page. Many beneficiaries said December will feel the same as the eleven months before it.
“There is nothing to plan… Give us more money, maybe we can plan something, maybe a bit bigger bag of maize that will last a month, that’s all we can plan,” Martie Strydom wrote.
Her comment was one of the most widely shared responses to the post. She said December would be just another month of struggle.
“Nothing to plan wil be just a struggling month like all the others. Nothing to look forward to,” she wrote.
Strydom also criticised people in power. She said officials can afford to plan holidays to Dubai and “a nice seafood platter” while grant recipients keep struggling.
Lyn Laubser shared the same frustration. She said the festive season means very little to someone living on a pension.
“Plan for Xmas! Bladdy laugh that is. Can’t buy presents or have a decent Xmas lunch on the amount they pay pensioners,” Laubser said.
Gina Steyn gave a short reply. “No festive season for me. Money to little to survive,” she wrote.
According to The South African, December brings extra pressure for many older South Africans. Families come together and children expect gifts at that time of year.
The costs of January also follow soon after the holidays. Parents and grandparents must pay for school uniforms and stationery only weeks later.
The publication said many older people also support grandchildren and unemployed relatives on a single grant. This leaves even less money for festive extras.
When one grant must feed a whole family, holiday spending falls far down the list. Strydom’s mention of a bag of maize meal shows how basic these needs are.
Many recipients argue that yearly increases do not keep up with rising prices. They pointed to the cost of food, electricity and transport.
SASSA grant amounts go up once a year. The increases are usually announced in the February Budget and paid from April.
Source: this article is based on reporting by The South African. Image: The South African. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice News desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Kgomotso Maake covers news and politics for Tzaneen Voice. Kgomotso reports on government, Parliament, municipalities, courts, crime and service delivery across South Africa, with a close eye on how national decisions reach towns like Tzaneen and the wider Limpopo province. Stories are written in plain English and focus on the facts: who made the decision, what it means, and what happens next.