Data shows that individuals who benefited from social grants increased from 12.8% in 2003 to approximately 31% between 2017 and 2019, before rising to 40.1% in 2024.
•This is according to the latest Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) General Household Survey.
•The increase is partly due to the introduction of the special COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant.
•The Eastern Cape, Free State, Limpopo, Northern Cape, and Mpumalanga are provinces with the highest percentage of households relying on social grants as their main source of income, statistician-general Risenga Maluleke revealed.
“Social grants remain a vital safety net, particularly in the poorest provinces,” Maluleke said.
