SASSA GRANTS OFFER LIFELINE TO VULNERABLE CHILDREN IN THE NORTHERN CAPE

By Lungelo Mkamba

Across the Northern Cape, social grants are offering more than just relief, they are providing dignity, stability, and the promise of a better future for thousands of children. Amid rising poverty and inequality, these targeted child support grants are helping families meet basic needs and access essential services like healthcare and education.
As South Africa commemorates Child Protection and Youth Month, the focus has shifted toward strengthening and expanding these critical safety nets for the country’s most vulnerable.
During the national commemoration of Child Protection Month, alongside Youth Month, the Northern Cape has highlighted the shared responsibility to protect, nurture, and empower every child. With an estimated 65% of children in the province living below the poverty line, according to UNICEF’s 2023 Child Poverty Report, this responsibility remains urgent and deeply personal.
In response to these realities, the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) provides a range of child-focused grants designed to offer families financial support, reduce vulnerability, and restore dignity. These include the Child Support Grant (CSG), Child Support Top-Up, Care Dependency Grant, and Foster Child Grant.
The Child Support Grant, currently paid at R560 per month, remains the foundation of child welfare support. In the 2024/2025 financial year, this grant injected over R178 million into the province, directly supporting thousands of children. It assists caregivers in covering essentials such as food, clothing, and school materials. In a province where stunting due to chronic undernutrition affects one in four children (SANHANES, 2023), the grant can be life-changing.
To qualify, children must be under the age of 18, reside in South Africa, and not live in a state institution. The caregiver must earn less than R67,200 per year if single, or R134,400 combined if married.
Where children have lost both parents, or the surviving parent cannot be located, the Child Support Top-Up Grant adds an extra R280 to the CSG, bringing the total to R840 per month. This intervention is especially vital in the Northern Cape’s many informal caregiving households, where formal legal processes can be a barrier to accessing support. The Top-Up requires only the submission of death certificates or an affidavit no court order is needed unless the household is child-headed.
Children with severe disabilities who require full-time home care may qualify for the Care Dependency Grant, which pays R2310 per month. In the current financial year, more than R14 million was disbursed through this grant in the province. This funding helps families with the costs of medical care, transport, and assistive devices, allowing them to focus on their child’s well-being with dignity.
The Foster Child Grant, which offers R1250 monthly, supports children placed in foster care due to abuse, neglect, or orphaning. Over R8 million was distributed in the Northern Cape last year through this programme. Although it requires a court order and legal documentation, the grant creates a foundation for healing and stability in homes that open their arms to children in need.
Together, these four grants form a critical safety net, one that helps reduce hunger, keeps children in school, and protects them from exploitation, trafficking, and neglect.
As South Africa reflects on Child Protection Week and Youth Month, the work of SASSA in the Northern Cape reminds us that safeguarding children’s rights also means equipping them to thrive. These grants are not charity, they are a constitutional promise and an investment in a more just and inclusive society.
By strengthening these social protections and ensuring that no child is left behind, we move one step closer to fulfilling the potential of every young person in the Northern Cape and across the country.