In a statement, the Social Development Minister, Lindiwe Zulu urged caregivers raising orphans to apply for the “top up” grants at their nearest Sassa offices.
The Department of Social Development launched the "Top-Up" grant on 1 June 2022 to increase the amount received by orphans to R720. The "Top-Up" is an additional R240 added to the basic CSG amount of R480.
This means that a relative caring for an orphaned child; specifically a grandparent, brother, sister, uncle, aunt or cousin of the child, can now receive a higher valued Child Support Grant per month of R720, instead of the standard Child Support Grant (CSG) amount of R480.
The department stated that the CSG Top-Up will consequently be subject to the same eligibility requirements as the CSG, which include:
- Being under 18 years old
- Not being in the care of a state institution and living with the primary caregiver, who isn't paid to look after the child.
The only additional documentation needed is evidence that the child is an orphan, and to do so, carers must submit copies of the child's parents' death certificates.
“If they only have one death certificate because they do not know the other parent or do not know whether the other parent has passed on or alive, they can complete an affidavit at SASSA Offices, which explains this matter,” the Minister further stated
All orphan caretakers should be aware that the CSG Top-Up is currently accessible at all Sassa offices, and that relatives do not require a social worker report or a court order to access it, according to Minister Zulu.
The department further explained that it is currently using the easily-accessible and successful CSG programme to connect with orphans so that those caring for orphans can quickly access a sufficient social grant to meet the child's essential needs.
The Department recently finished an assessment of child poverty and child support, and it found that as the CSG was expanded to include more children between the years 2003 and 2013. During the same period, the percentage of children living in food poverty fell by 20 percentage points, from 53% to 33%.
