Social Development Month

1 - 31 October

October has been declared Social Development Month.

Government achievements

The provision of comprehensive social security, including income support and a safety net for the destitute, remains the cornerstone of government‘s key programmes to fight against poverty affecting children, people with disabilities and older persons

  • Currently over 15 million eligible South Africans are receiving social benefits through the social assistance programme - of these beneficiaries over ten million are children
  • Cabinet approved the extension of the Child Support Grant to children aged 16 and 17, which increased the number of children benefiting from the grant to more than 10, 5 million.
  • Age equalisation between male and female recipients of the Grant for Older Persons entered its third and final phase when men aged 60 years started accessing the grant, thus increasing the number of older persons receiving the grant to 2,7 million.
  • Recent independent research results show that the provision of social protection in a form of social grants has sustained many vulnerable households particularly against the global financial crisis that threatens to reverse development gains in many developing countries across the globe. This is commendable progress in attaining Goal 1 of the Millennium Development Goals-halving poverty by 2015.

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