‘Easily increase the old-age grant’: South Africans push for SASSA trade-off
South Africans are proposing a bold solution to fix one SASSA grant, but it would mean sacrificing two others entirely.
Black News 
A recent The South African article on SASSA grant increases has reignited a familiar and heated debate among readers: should some grants be scrapped entirely so that others, particularly the old-age grant, can be boosted to a liveable amount?
The comment section quickly filled with strong opinions, ranging from radical restructuring to simple demands for more cash, alongside a healthy dose of suspicion about where the money actually goes.
Scrap two grants to save one
Bastiaan Heilbron didn’t hold back with his proposed solution, arguing that “if they stop the R350 and children’s grant, they can easily increase the old age grant.” He went further, questioning the employment status of some recipients by asking, “How many mothers who receive the grant are still out there working?”
His comment suggests a belief that resources are spread too thin across too many grant categories, and that consolidating funds specifically for pensioners would ease the financial strain many elderly South Africans face month to month.
Readers want a bigger number, not a trade-off
Not everyone agreed with Heilbron’s approach. Some readers skipped the debate about redistribution entirely and named a figure they believe would make a real difference. Zinhle Zinxretrospect Gmbos Mhlanga put it plainly, saying, “R6500 will be right.”
The comment reflects a broader sentiment among SASSA grant recipients and their families that the current amounts don’t keep pace with the real cost of living, regardless of how the money is sourced or restructured.
Meanwhile, Oona Hanekom shifted the conversation away from cash amounts altogether, proposing that pensioners should instead receive preferential electricity and water costs, with “rates discounted after application yearly,” while also calling for taxes and car licences to be “looked into.”
Between calls to scrap grants, demands for higher payouts, and appeals for relief through reduced living costs rather than cash, the thread paints a picture of South Africans searching for any workable solution to pensioner poverty, even if they disagree sharply on what that solution should look like.
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