SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT HOSTS COLLOQUIUM TO LINK SOCIAL PROTECTION WITH INCOME OPPORTUNITIES

By Nonhlakanipho Masola.

• The Department of Social Development is taking time to reflect on the lessons learnt during COVID-19 and the impact of the Social Relief of Distress support.
• The department is holding a two-day policy colloquium under the theme “From grants to growth: Integrating social protection and income-generating opportunities”.
• At the heart of the discussions is how best to link social protection to employment, entrepreneurship, and sustainable livelihoods, both in the formal and informal economy.

The Department of Social Development is hosting a two-day policy colloquium from 28 – 29 October 2025 under the theme “From grants to growth: Integrating social protection and income-generating opportunities”.

The colloquium, taking place at The Capital on the Park, in Sandton, comes at a pivotal moment in South Africa’s social protection journey, as the country continues to reflect on the lessons from the COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress, which has supported millions of vulnerable citizens since 2020.

As policy debates shift towards the establishment of a more stable and permanent form of income support, the key question now is how to effectively link social protection to employment, entrepreneurship, and sustainable livelihoods, both in the formal and informal economy.

Convened by the department in collaboration with the Presidency’s Digital Innovation in the Public Sector and the Digital Services Unit, the colloquium is supported by Genesis Analytics and the Centre for Social Development in Africa at the University of Johannesburg.

The event brings together policymakers, academics, and development partners to explore innovative ways of ensuring that social grants serve as a foundation for inclusive economic participation rather than existing in isolation.

From grants to growth

Dr Maureen Mogotsi, the chief director for social assistance at the Department of Social Development, outlined the purpose of the two-day policy colloquium.

The colloquium comes at a critical moment for South Africa’s social protection system, which has long safeguarded the dignity of citizens through social grants. The Social Relief of Distress support significantly reduced poverty and improved the well-being of children, women, older persons, and persons with disabilities, Dr Mogotsi noted.

However, Dr Mogotsi emphasised that the Covid-19 pandemic exposed weaknesses in the current system, particularly its inability to support working-age adults who are unemployed or in informal work, the so-called “missing middle”.

Addressing the group, she said, is essential if the country is to tackle inequality, unemployment, and poverty.

The colloquium serves as a platform to rethink and strengthen social protection, moving it beyond welfare and toward economic empowerment, she added.

The department, she said, envisions a holistic approach that links financial support to skills development, entrepreneurship, and sustainable livelihoods.

Dr Mogotsi highlighted the need for a whole-of-government and whole-of-society response, stressing that the department cannot achieve inclusive growth alone.

She also underscored the importance of digitisation to improve efficiency, data management, and access to opportunities, while ensuring the digital divide does not exclude rural or young beneficiaries.

She encouraged participants to consider how to empower adults aged 18–59, scale up pilot projects, and build sustainable institutional frameworks. Ultimately, she said, the goal is to shift from temporary relief to lasting opportunity, from passive support to active empowerment, and from surviving to thriving.

In closing, Dr Mogotsi called on delegates to be bold, honest, and collaborative in shaping policies that ensure no South African, especially the youth, is left behind, reaffirming that social protection should restore dignity, build agency, and unlock potential.