‘We need R5 000 this time’: Pensioners’ demand sparks debate

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Pensioners have named their number, but South Africans have strong views on where the money should come from first.

0 SASSA card and money. Image: File The call for a R5 000 SASSA Older Persons Grant has opened a wider debate among South Africans about how government could afford it, and who might lose out.

The discussion played out on The South African’s Facebook page, where pensioners, caregivers and critics weighed in.

Frans Matsekela made the demand in just five words.

“We need R5 000 this time,” Matsekela wrote.

His use of “this time” suggests a growing impatience among older grant recipients, many of whom feel annual increases have failed to keep up with food, electricity and transport costs.

Thuli Nzimande added that pensioners should not see deductions or reductions of any kind. “Elderly pensioners must get full amount no matter what,” Nzimande wrote.

A R5,000 grant would be more than double the current Older Persons Grant, a major cost given the millions of pensioners SASSA supports each month.

Some commenters had a clear answer on funding. Wade Hendricks suggested limiting support for children to pay for older and disabled South Africans.

“Limit grant to one child and cut the R370 and redirect funds to increase pensioners and disabilities pay,” Hendricks wrote.

Jay Mtungwa went much further, rejecting grants altogether in favour of job creation. “Cancel the whole damn grant thingy, better to put it into employment,” Mtungwa wrote, arguing that adult children should support their elderly parents.

Their views highlight a tension between generations, as pensioners and caregivers compete for limited social spending.

Genover Govender warned that the debate should not ignore older South Africans who receive nothing at all.

“Consider those seniors that are not getting Sassa at all as well,” Govender wrote.

Her comment points to elderly people who fail the means test, are stuck in lengthy application processes, or have never applied. A higher grant would not help them unless they can access the system first.

Economists have long warned that social grants already take up a significant share of the national budget, limiting room for large increases without new revenue or cuts elsewhere.

SASSA has not announced any plan to raise the Older Persons Grant to R5 000. Grant amounts are set during the annual national budget, and pensioners should rely only on official SASSA channels for confirmed increases.

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