Authors Mikhail Moosa
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Why do so many South Africans receive a social grant and why has it increased so rapidly over time? THREAD (because I had to tweet about my MA eventually)
1/ Of the 18m grant recipients, around 12m (so 2/3) are children. Caregivers (overwhelmingly women) receive the grant on the child's behalf. The child support grant was only introduced in 1998, so not sure why DA asks for data since 1994. Other grants have not increased hugely.
2/ My uncontroversial opinion: it is good for the state to provide social assistance, as it is constitutionally obliged, to children in poor households. Public opinion data suggests most SAns agree with this sentiment:
3/ Receiving a social grant is associated with numerous developmental improvements for children - e.g. food security; school attendance - and eases some of the financial burden of carers.
4/ The CSG replaced an earlier cash transfer programme, the State Maintenance Grant, because the SMG discriminated against black women. Only citizens of the Republic - not bantustan residents - could receive it. The SMG failed to provide assistance to the poorest rural children.
\U0001f4c8| Over 18 million people receive some form of grant payment. Data proves South Africans are increasingly going into poverty due to a failing ANC government and its policies.
— Democratic Alliance (@Our_DA) January 5, 2021
The first sharp increase in these numbers started in the 2004/05 financial year.https://t.co/F06VnnAzbx
1/ Of the 18m grant recipients, around 12m (so 2/3) are children. Caregivers (overwhelmingly women) receive the grant on the child's behalf. The child support grant was only introduced in 1998, so not sure why DA asks for data since 1994. Other grants have not increased hugely.
2/ My uncontroversial opinion: it is good for the state to provide social assistance, as it is constitutionally obliged, to children in poor households. Public opinion data suggests most SAns agree with this sentiment:
3/ Receiving a social grant is associated with numerous developmental improvements for children - e.g. food security; school attendance - and eases some of the financial burden of carers.
4/ The CSG replaced an earlier cash transfer programme, the State Maintenance Grant, because the SMG discriminated against black women. Only citizens of the Republic - not bantustan residents - could receive it. The SMG failed to provide assistance to the poorest rural children.