16M get social security: Minister

[LazyLion]

Just under 16 million South Africans were receiving some form of social security grant from government last year, according to Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini.

This cost government more than R109 billion during 2013/14, she said on Monday, in a written reply to a parliamentary question.

The SA Social Security Agency provides grants including old age, war veterans, disability, grant-in-aid, care dependency, foster care, and child support.

Of the total 15,932,473 grant beneficiaries last year, 70 percent (11,125,946) received child support grants. A total of R39.6bn was paid out on child support grants during 2013/14.

Over the same period, R44.1bn was spent on old age grants -- referred to as older person's grants -- to 2,969,933 beneficiaries.

The total spent on all grants last year was R109,053,880,000.

Figures for the first quarter of this year (2014/15), given in the reply, show the number of beneficiaries is on the rise.

There were 16,242,196 grant recipients at the end of June, and the cost of providing their benefits up to that date was R29.3bn.

There were 2.5m social grant beneficiaries in 1998.


Source : Sapa /rod/ks/th/jje
Date : 20 Oct 2014 15:08

 

[ToxicBunny]

Hmmmm.....

I have my own opinions on this stuff, but I know they're not popular.

Our government cannot actually afford to have such a large social security net, we don't have the tax base for it.

 

[LaraC]

It is a shame that Government does not make it more attractive for people to save to be self-sufficient and not be a burden on the State.

 

[TelkomUseless]

It is a shame that Government does not make it more attractive for people to save to be self-sufficient and not be a burden on the State.

that is how they keep their votes. Rather give money free money, and have them keep voting you in, than actually do some job creation...

 

[grok]

The ultimate African dream ..

 

[Sherbang]

It is a shame that Government does not make it more attractive for people to save to be self-sufficient and not be a burden on the State.

Save what? People receiving benefits have nothing to save

 

[icyrus]

Hmmmm.....

I have my own opinions on this stuff, but I know they're not popular.

Our government cannot actually afford to have such a large social security net, we don't have the tax base for it.

We don't have the tax base to support it in perpetuity but we can't afford not to have it either. The focus needs to be on helping these people get out of this poverty trap while still having the safety net. Obviously the government is failing though.

 

[ToxicBunny]

We don't have the tax base to support it in perpetuity but we can't afford not to have it either. The focus needs to be on helping these people get out of this poverty trap while still having the safety net. Obviously the government is failing though.

I know we can't afford not to have some kind of social security net.. but the one we have at the moment is not doing this country any long term good.

 

[LaraC]

Save what? People receiving benefits have nothing to save

I refer to people that are still able to generate income.
If they do not save towards their future they will add to the growing number of social grant dependants.

 

[Space_Chief]

Fixing the entitlement/abuse/strike/we're special South African snowflakes culture may go a long way to helping fix some of that. If foreign investors and locals can invest in businesses which can compete with Asia in terms of cost and quality then we would probably be able to grow. However that requires actual hard work and sacrifice.

 

[t123]

The only way to fix this is free further education at universities, technikons and trade schools. Without it the masses are doomed to a cycle of unemployment and below living wage jobs.

 

[Paul_S]

The only way to fix this is free further education at universities, technikons and trade schools. Without it the masses are doomed to a cycle of unemployment and below living wage jobs.

Free tertiary education = over crowded training institutions = lower quality education.

The youth should be taught practical entrepreneurial skills at school. Tertiary education isn't a necessity if you are able to teach yourself and start your own business.
South Africa doesn't need lots of educated people looking for work in a dwindling pool of opportunities. We need people who can create work opportunities and the labour policies to help support small business (hire & fire at will) not a socialist, entitlement, free handout system.

 

[ToxicBunny]

The only way to fix this is free further education at universities, technikons and trade schools. Without it the masses are doomed to a cycle of unemployment and below living wage jobs.

Ummm, how about nope.

Trade schools maybe, but we would need more of those...
And things like University and Technikon (or University of Technology these days) are priviledges, not rights... we need to fix that aspect of culture as well, a tertiary qualification is not something that everyone should have.

 

[w1z4rd]

Free tertiary education = over crowded training institutions = lower quality education.

Canada, Norway, Finland and Sweden seem to disagree with you. Norway offers 0 tuition costs to international students even. Nice fallacy to discuss around the braai, but it can be done right with good results.

 

[icyrus]

Ummm, how about nope.

Trade schools maybe, but we would need more of those...
And things like University and Technikon (or University of Technology these days) are priviledges, not rights... we need to fix that aspect of culture as well, a tertiary qualification is not something that everyone should have.

Madness.

 

[t123]

Free tertiary education = over crowded training institutions = lower quality education.

The youth should be taught practical entrepreneurial skills at school. Tertiary education isn't a necessity if you are able to teach yourself and start your own business.
South Africa doesn't need lots of educated people looking for work in a dwindling pool of opportunities. We need people who can create work opportunities and the labour policies to help support small business (hire & fire at will) not a socialist, entitlement, free handout system.

Sure, free tertiary education has done really badly for Europe, really overcrowded and low quality.

It doesn't matter whether it's a trade skill or university degree. Once people have that education they can actually get or create jobs, a matric is worthless. You can't tell people who have nothing the only way they're going to get a job is to fork over money which they don't have for further education. Because what happens now is they're so poor their children give up on school as well to make money for the family and the cycle just repeats.

Think of it as a long term loan. They get free education up front and in return, over their lifetime, they claim less in benefits and pay it back in taxes.

 

[greg_SA]

Family planning will also help...

 

[w1z4rd]

Family planning will also help...

It is helping. In the last 30 years our fertility rate has decreased dramatically. We are roughly at the ideal population growth rate at the moment. 2 and a half kids We are down from over 6 kids.

 

[ToxicBunny]

Sure, free tertiary education has done really badly for Europe, really overcrowded and low quality.

It doesn't matter whether it's a trade skill or university degree. Once people have that education they can actually get or create jobs, a matric is worthless. You can't tell people who have nothing the only way they're going to get a job is to fork over money which they don't have for further education. Because what happens now is they're so poor their children give up on school as well to make money for the family and the cycle just repeats.

Think of it as a long term loan. They get free education up front and in return, over their lifetime, they claim less in benefits and pay it back in taxes.

In the future, free university or whatever is something I might agree with..

But currently, to make it free would mean overloaded universities since EVERYONE would want in, even if they didn't deserve to gain entry into a University or Technikon... and then once in, there would be bell curving going on all over the place to maintain passrates and the end effect is a tertiary qualification that is monumentally and absolutely useless.

 

[w1z4rd]

In the future, free university or whatever is something I might agree with..

But currently, to make it free would mean overloaded universities since EVERYONE would want in, even if they didn't deserve to gain entry into a University or Technikon... and then once in, there would be bell curving going on all over the place to maintain passrates and the end effect is a tertiary qualification that is monumentally and absolutely useless.

Government should be building new universities to cope with our population needs. You cant save for the future, you need to invest in the future.