ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION FOCUSES ON “GRADUATING” SOCIAL GRANTS BENEFICIARIES OUT OF POVERTY

• A two-day roundtable discussion in Cape Town aims to connect social protection beneficiaries with sustainable livelihoods initiatives, seeking to enhance resilience and help lift individuals out of poverty.
• The initiative, organised by the Department of Social Development, NDA, and SASSA, includes key stakeholders from government, civil society, and the private sector, emphasising collaboration to scale up effective livelihood strategies.
• The discussions will inform a new policy on linking social protection beneficiaries to sustainable livelihood opportunities, with a pilot project already showing promising results in Gauteng, Free State, and KwaZulu-Natal.

In Cape Town on 30 October the first day of a two-day roundtable discussion convened by the Department of Social Development, the National Development Agency (NDA), and SASSA, in collaboration with the Finmark Trust and BRAC International, focused on linking social protection beneficiaries to sustainable livelihoods initiatives that aim to build resilience and “graduate them out of poverty” in the long term.

The roundtable serves as a critical platform to discuss collaborative efforts, pathways, and partnerships necessary for successfully connecting social protection beneficiaries to sustainable livelihoods.

The outcome of the roundtable is expected to guide the development of a policy on linking social protection beneficiaries to sustainable livelihood opportunities.

Held under the theme “Acting together to empower children, their families, and communities to end poverty” at the Cape Sun, Cape Town, the roundtable discussion brought together representatives from government, civil society, development agencies, research organisations, and the private sector to collaborate on innovative ways to scale up sustainable livelihood initiatives.

One such project, designed to address the interrelated problems of poverty and financial exclusion, is Generating Better Livelihoods for Grants Beneficiaries.

The first phase of the project is currently being piloted at seven sites in Gauteng, Free State, and KwaZulu-Natal over three years, with plans to expand to other provinces, aiming to reach five hundred thousand (500,000) social grants beneficiaries by 2030.

Central to this initiative is BRAC’s graduation approach, which links social grant beneficiaries to employment, entrepreneurship, and skills/training opportunities. Currently, three hundred and seventy (370) social grants beneficiaries are participating in the pilot, with a target to scale up to link five hundred thousand (500,000) by 2030.

The pilot project is halfway through its duration, and initial data shows promising results.

Speaking at the roundtable, Mr Brendan Pearce, CEO of Finmark Trust, stated: “It has been a while since the pilot project commenced, and the insights gained during this period have exceeded our expectations. We are now more convinced than ever that this initiative can serve as the most effective means of improving the livelihoods and financial inclusion of social grants beneficiaries across South Africa.”

The majority of social grants beneficiaries (70%) participating in the pilot project have expressed interest in entrepreneurship pathways, further underscoring the potential of combining social protection with skills development and financial inclusion as an effective strategy to guide beneficiaries out of poverty and vulnerability.

During the discussions, participants identified several critical success factors for the project:

• Leveraging technology as a transformative tool for rural areas.
• Developing job readiness programmes for social grants beneficiaries.
• Promoting financial literacy and a social entrepreneurial model.
• Establishing networks that connect technical colleges, local industries, and community organisations to co-create skill development programmes aligned with local job market demands.

Addressing the roundtable, the Deputy Minister of Social Development, Mr Ganief Hendricks, cautioned that the success of the Generating Better Livelihoods initiative relies on the coordination and harmonisation of efforts among various government and non-government actors at both national and local levels. 

The first day of the roundtable concluded with the signing of a pledge by all participants to collaborate and support the pilot project and the rollout of the Framework on Linking Social Protection Beneficiaries to Sustainable Livelihood Opportunities.

Today, 30 October, the second day of the roundtable discussion will culminate in the adoption of a Programme of Action that will include commitments to specific actions aimed at expanding initiatives to link social grants beneficiaries. 

ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT