The Minister of Social Development, Lindiwe Zulu briefed the media and gave an update on Monday, 11 October, regarding the Child Support Grant Top-Up as well as the R350 covid-19 Social Relief Grant.
Source: GroundUpSpeaking at the briefing in Pretoria, the minster
highlighted that Social Development Month, which is observed in October, is
being commemorated under the theme “United
in the fight against poverty and other Social ills.
Zulu spoke about the activities that the Social Development
portfolio will engage on various community outreach programmes that will be
focusing and addressing active ageing, social security and social ills, such as
gender-based violence and most importantly substance abuse.
The minister urged that the partnerships of the Social
Development portfolio must attend to the increasing issues of mental health due
to the covid-19 pandemic worsening the situation and emphasized that the
problem of teenage pregnancy needs to be addressed.
She said that close to 16 500 beneficiaries are receiving
the Child support Grant Top-up since applications opened in June and encouraged
more people to apply. She added that only relatives and guardians caring for
orphaned children can apply for and receive the child support grant top-up of
R720 per child per month.
The minster then emphasized that the Child Support Grant
Top- Up is not a new grant, adding it is available to apply at all SASSA
offices. She highlighted that it was crucial to bring to support to the public
so they these grants are easily accessible to them.
“It is important to mention that the Child Support Grant
Top-Up is not a new grant. The additional R240 to the standard R480 is enabled
by a 2015 Cabinet-approved policy. The provisions of this policy enables me as
the Minister of Social Development to introduce the higher value child support
grant top-up for orphans. As a result, on 01 June 2022, and with the
concurrence of the Minister of Finance, I introduced the Child Support Grant
Top-Up,” she said.
In regards to the R350 Social Relief of distress grant, she said that 7,5 million people are currently receiving the Covid- 19 social relief Covid- 19 grant monthly after its extension in April.
The minister then concluded by saying that the department
depends on the public in order to solve the social ills in the country.
“As I conclude, we depend on the members of the media to
duly disseminate this important message across the length and breadth of our
country so that South Africans know what is coming to their communities this
Social Development Month,” she concluded.
By Lulama Klassen
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