SASSA grant recipient wants work to restore dignity
· The South African
A Gauteng pensioner says the Older Persons Grant helps, but she believes part-time employment could transform lives for older South Africans.
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Lindsay Pikes never imagined she would rely on government assistance.
A woman approaching her sixties, she lives in Gauteng and has received the Older Persons Grant for less than a year.
She remains unemployed but actively seeks work, determined to contribute despite the challenges facing older job seekers in South Africa’s struggling economy.
Older Persons Grant
Pikes receives the Older Persons Grant, a monthly payment of R2 400 provided to South African citizens aged 60 and older who meet the means test requirements.
She uses the money for a mix of expenses, stretching it across various household needs.
The grant arrives directly into her bank account each month, a process she describes as straightforward and without complications.
SASSA grant covers basics but falls short
Despite the relative ease of accessing her payments, Pikes regularly struggles to make ends meet.
She supports one to two dependants while living in a shared family home.
Her greatest concern is housing costs, a burden that consumes a significant portion of her monthly income.
Like many grant recipients across the country, she runs out of money before the month ends.
The situation Pikes faces reflects a broader crisis affecting millions of South Africans.
With unemployment exceeding 32 percent nationally, older workers who lose their jobs often find themselves permanently excluded from the labour market.
Age discrimination compounds the difficulty, leaving skilled and capable individuals with few options.
The Older Persons Grant provides essential support, but recipients frequently report that it cannot cover the true cost of living in urban areas like Gauteng, where expenses continue to rise.
Pikes holds skills in retail and customer service.
She can stand, walk, drive and work. She wants to use these abilities rather than depend entirely on government support.
Her willingness to work sets her apart from the stereotype of passive grant dependency that often dominates public discourse.
Pensioner proposes innovative solutions for SASSA recipients
In her survey response, Pikes offered thoughtful suggestions for improving the lives of older South Africans.
She proposed that the state could establish its own farms and industries to subsidise essential foods.
A voucher system for meat, starch and vegetables could help pensioners survive better on their limited incomes.
She also suggested that older grant recipients could be employed part time in state institutions for a certain number of hours each week.
Her reasoning goes beyond economics. Working restores dignity and mental health, Pikes explained.
This observation aligns with research showing that meaningful activity and social connection significantly improve wellbeing among older adults.
The isolation and purposelessness that can accompany unemployment and retirement often lead to depression and declining health.
Pikes understands this intuitively and wants more than financial survival.
When asked what single change would most improve her situation, Pikes answered simply: increase the grant amount. This response echoes across the 18 million South Africans who receive SASSA grants.
While she acknowledges the programme serves older persons well, the current amount cannot keep pace with inflation and rising living costs.
Her situation demonstrates that even those who rate SASSA’s service as adequate still face genuine hardship.
Pikes did not know what other support might be available to her, a common gap in awareness among recipients.
She represents the many South Africans who navigate the grant system without full knowledge of additional resources or programmes that could help them.
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