Pensioners Demand R5 000 Grant

Elderly citizens under the banner of Pensioners of South Africa (POSA) have appealed to President Cyril Ramaphosa and SASSA officials to acknowledge their hardship, saying they are living below the poverty line on a state pension of just R2 400 a month. Over 200 elderly residents gathered outside the SASSA branch in Beacon Valley, Mitchells Plain, on Monday, holding placards and chanting for the pension to be raised to R5 000, insisting R2 400 was simply not enough. A representative of the Lobelia Seniors Club agreed, saying the rising cost of living left them with no other option but to demand R5 000.

Key Takeaways

• Pension falls far short of living costs: Pensioners currently receive R2 400 a month, which many say doesn’t cover basics like electricity, food and water, and they’re demanding it be raised to R5 000.
• Queuing conditions add to the hardship: Elderly residents often wait outside SASSA offices from as early as 4am in cold or wet weather with no shelter, sometimes only to learn their payments have been frozen or a new system is being rolled out.
• Government support exists but doesn’t set grant amounts: SASSA can administer and pay grants but has no say over their value, while the Western Cape government points to programmes like subsidised NPOs, community kitchens and feeding sites as interim support for struggling seniors.

Long Queues And Hardship At SASSA Offices

The gathered pensioners also voiced their frustration over the extended queues they are forced to endure every month, often arriving outside the office as early as 4am in cold, wet winter conditions with no form of shelter to protect them. Adding to their distress, some reported being informed upon arrival that their pension payments had been suspended pending investigation, or that a newly implemented system was now in effect.

Key Grievances Raised By Protesters

• Monthly pension of R2 400 falls far below what is needed to survive
• Demand for the grant to be increased to R5 000
• Long queues forming from as early as 4am
• No shelter provided against rain or cold while waiting
• Payments occasionally frozen without warning for investigation
• Disruption caused by new administrative systems being rolled out

Pensioners queuing at SASSA offices are advised to check the official SASSA website or SMS notification service beforehand, as some branches now offer scheduled collection days to reduce waiting times and overcrowding.

Origins Of The Movement

It was precisely because of these conditions that Chef JC, together with his wife, Calveen Edwards, founded the POSA movement, which has since organised demonstrations throughout the Western Cape.

JC explained to the Cape Argus that the movement came into being because they personally have elderly relatives and have witnessed first hand the difficulties they face, noting that these are the very people responsible for constructing the country’s infrastructure. He described how pensioners are forced to wait in the rain while new systems are brought in, resulting in their funds being placed on hold. He pointed out that rent, food and electricity costs keep rising, and asked when things would finally change. He added that these individuals have contributed taxes throughout their entire working lives, yet their pension money disappears within a single day of being received, and that testimonies of this struggle have been gathered from pensioners right across South Africa.

Personal Accounts From Pensioners

Struggling To Cover Basic Needs

Maureen Crocker, aged 78 and a member of the Pensioners’ Club 60, described how making ends meet is a monthly battle, saying her pension does not stretch far enough to meet her basic needs. She explained that she considers herself to be living well below an acceptable standard on R2 400, noting that she spends between R1 500 and R1 700 each month purely on electricity, and questioned how she is expected to survive on what remains to buy food and pay for water.

Calls For Shelter During Queuing Hours

Veronica Smith, 72, suggested that government authorities ought to provide proper shelters at SASSA offices so that elderly people queuing outside are protected from rain during the winter months and from heat during summer.

Reflections From The Struggle Era

Carol Andrews, who chairs the Seniors’ Club at the Faith Apostolic Centre (FAC), remarked that as senior citizens who took part in the struggle against apartheid, very little appears to have improved for them since then. She observed that many of them continue to face hardship, noting that they were part of the struggle in the past and remain within a struggle even now.

Pensioner	Age	Affiliation	Main Concern Raised
Maureen Crocker	78	Pensioners’ Club 60	Electricity costs consuming most of monthly pension
Veronica Smith	72	POSA protester	Lack of shelter while queuing at SASSA
Carol Andrews	Not specified	Seniors’ Club, Faith Apostolic Centre	Ongoing hardship despite struggle era sacrifices

No memorandum was submitted to SASSA during the demonstration.

Official Responses To The Protest

SASSA’s Position

Responding to the concerns raised, SASSA Western Cape spokesperson Shivani Wahab acknowledged the difficulties facing senior citizens, though she clarified that any decision to raise grant amounts rests entirely with government. She stated that SASSA recognises that many beneficiaries continue to face considerable economic pressure as the cost of essential goods and services, including food, transport, electricity and healthcare, keeps increasing. She further clarified that although SASSA is responsible for administering and paying out social grants, the agency itself does not set the value of those grants or decide on the size of annual increases.

The Provincial Government’s Response

Social Development MEC Jaco Londt noted that a number of programmes are currently in operation to support elderly residents experiencing financial difficulty. He explained that, as part of a broader integrated strategy to combat hunger, the Western Cape Department of Social Development provides subsidies to 54 non-profit organisations that oversee 101 Community Nutrition and Development Centres, along with 64 community kitchens and 17 feeding sites situated across the province.

Support Structures Mentioned By The MEC

• 54 subsidised non-profit organisations (NPOs)
• 101 Community Nutrition and Development Centres
• 64 community kitchens
• 17 feeding sites across the Western Cape

Elderly residents struggling with food security can enquire at their nearest Department of Social Development office about registering with a local community kitchen or feeding site, as many operate on a walk in basis without lengthy application processes.

Conclusion

The plight of South Africa’s pensioners, as voiced through the POSA movement, highlights a growing gap between a fixed state grant of R2 400 and the real cost of surviving each month, with rising electricity, food and rent prices leaving many elderly citizens unable to make ends meet. While SASSA has acknowledged these struggles and the Western Cape government points to feeding schemes and community support programmes as a stopgap, neither can address the core demand for a higher pension, since that decision rests solely with national government. Until an increase is granted, pensioners like Maureen Crocker, Veronica Smith and Carol Andrews are likely to keep standing in long, unsheltered queues and taking to the streets, insisting that after a lifetime of paying taxes and building the country, they deserve a pension that actually allows them to live with dignity.