SA adjusts social grants budget to combat rising living costs

THE budget for social grants has been adjusted downward from the one presented on 12 March 2025 to align spending with revised revenue proposals.

- MANDILAKHE TSHWETE

Despite this downward adjustment, social grants will be augmented by R1.6 billion in 2025/26 to help beneficiaries cope with the rising cost of living, although no additional increases are planned for the two outer years of the medium-term expenditure framework (MTEF) period.

This is according to the Budget documents presented by National Treasury before the tabling of the speech by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana in Parliament yesterday.

The document also confirmed that the social relief of distress (SRD) grant, introduced at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, will remain in place until March 2026 as the government continues to explore long-term options to replace it.

According to the documents, the grant will continue at a value of R370 per month during this period.

Godongwana announced that R844.4bn has been allocated to the Department of Social Development over the MTEF period.