The Black Sash is worried that applicants who need the child support grant might not receive it if their children are not attending school.
“These children have the right to apply for the grant and to claim the assistance of a social worker,” says spokesperson Phelisa Nkomo.
The Black Sash is worried that applicants who need the child support grant might not receive it if their children are not attending school.
“These children have the right to apply for the grant and to claim the assistance of a social worker,” says spokesperson Phelisa Nkomo.
According to an amendment that was passed on 31 December last year, parents of children between the ages of seven and 18 from disadvantaged households must supply proof of school attendance when they apply for a Child Support Grant.
Parents must supply the Director General of Social Development with a school report that is signed by the head of the school every six months.
A spokesperson for the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) in the Eastern Cape, Luzoko Qina, says there is nothing in the amendment regulations that speaks to suspending grants if the child does not attend
school.
If the Director General does not receive a report when it is due a social worker will be sent to the household to investigate.
Sassa is responsible for the distribution of social grants in South Africa. Since January this year the grant has been extended to children up to the age of 18.
Social Development Minister Edna Molewa says the extension “signifies government’s commitment to alleviate the plight of the impoverished majority of our people, especially children”.
Children who were born on or since 1 October 1994 qualify for the Child Support Grant. Single parents who earn less than R2 400 a month and married parents whose joint income is R4 800 or less a month will receive a monthly grant of R240 per child.
