South African Social Development Minister Zola Skweyiya announced on Friday that 3,4-million children were now registered to receive a R160 a month child support grant — for the poorest of the poor.
Announcing it as one of the “most significant achievements in the history of the country”, he noted “what a coincidence that we have recorded this monumental achievement when one of the greatest sons of our soil … the care-giver of the most vulnerable children [former President] Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela celebrates his 85th birthday”.
“The CSG (child support grant) and the other social grants are the biggest poverty alleviation programme of government meant to ensure that the most vulnerable sectors of our society like people with disabilities, older persons, people affected and infected by HIV/Aids, especially children such as orphans, are uplifted from abject poverty and misery.”
Skweyiya noted that with the registration of the children the government would spend over R480-million a month on the child support grant of a total social welfare Bill of R2,5-billion every month. In last October only about two million children had been registered for the grant.
Last year in October, following the spiralling of food prices in the country and the sub region, the government started with a pilot project of the Food Security and Nutrition Programme, he noted.
The minister said R400-million was allocated, of which R230-million was used in the country and R170-million was used to help its neighbours through the World Food Programme. – I-Net Bridge