‘South Africa TOO reliant on social grants,’ say experts
Latest figures from Stats SA show the country’s worrying reliance on social grants. Here’s how many households rely on them to survive.
There have been shocking revelations in the most recent General Household Survey by Stats SA. In its research, it has found that poorer communities are becoming worryingly reliant on social grants as a primary source of income.
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In fact, they were the second largest source of income (50.2%) for households after salaries (59.7%), reports Business Tech. And, more worryingly, Stats SA says grants were the primary source of income for 23.5% of households in South Africa. Nearly one quarter of the country!
SOCIAL GRANTS VS. SALARIES
This is the case in the Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and Free State, where social grants are the primary source of income, instead of paid salaries. Also, Stats SA confirms that the number of households on social grants has increased from 30.9% in 2019 to 37% in 2022. This is due mostly to the introduction of the COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant.
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Other notable takeaways from the Stats SA figures speaks to South African’s access to water, electricity and sanitation. Although these should be seen as basic human rights.
- The number of households with access to water has increased to 88.5%.
- Access to sanitation has increased to 83.2%.
- 89.6% of households were connected to mains electricity.