By Zukile Majova
Political Editor
Grannies and grandpas scored big in Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s election-year budget speech with an increase of R100 a month, the biggest in 20 years.
The disability grant also went up by R100 and the foster care grant will increase by R50.
Godongwana said grannies have been complaining that their grants regularly go up by just R20.
“I was walking around Gugulethu and grannies were insulting me. One pointed at me with a walking stick saying: ‘Hey you, stop this habit of giving us a R20 increase’.
“So I want to assure that gogo, that mna, I am generous, I won’t give them a mere R20 increase. We are giving them an increase of R100.”
Pensioners are among the most loyal supporters of the ANC and can be relied on to show up at voting stations on 29 May.
The youth, which has the lowest participation in elections, only received a R20 increase in the child support grant, while the R350 social relief of distress grant has been extended by one year.
This grant, which is accessed by over nine-million people, mostly unemployed youth, is expected to form the foundation of the country’s basic income grant.
“As the president has said, it is going to be improved and work is being done,” Godongwana said. “The minister of social development is publishing regulations and when she finally gazettes those regulations, the new grant and figures will be published together with those regulations.”
The new adjustments mean the old age grant will go up from R2,085 to R2,185 and for pensioners over the age of 75, it will increase to R2,205.
– Grants for war veterans increase from R2,105 to R2,205;
– Disability grants go up to R2,185;
– The foster care grant increases to R1,175;
– Care dependency grants rise from R2,085 to R2,185; and
– Child support grants go up to R525.
With elections in May, the minister allocated R200-million to political party funding and R2.3-billion to the Independent Electoral Commission.
The 2024 budget lacks stimulus for economic growth even though the government has raided the national emergency reserves from the SA Reserve Bank, withdrawing R150-billion.
There was no positive news on job creation either, as economic growth has been revised down to just 0.6%.
Pictured above: Pensioners are among the ANC’s most loyal supporters and will show up at voting stations on 29 May.
Source: X
