“We See the Struggles”: Western Cape Pensioners March to SASSA Offices Demanding R5,000 Grant

• More than 200 pensioners gathered at a SASSA office in Mitchells Plain to demand their monthly grant be increased to R5 000
• The qualification criteria to apply for the monthly SASSA grant as well as the payment details are broken down below
• South Africans online backed the pensioners, saying those who contributed to the country deserved far better treatment

Over 200 senior citizens marched to the SASSA offices in Beacon Valley, Mitchells Plain, on Monday, 14 July 2026, demanding that President Cyril Ramaphosa and the government raise their monthly old age grant from R2 400 to R5 000.

The demonstration was organised under the banner of Pensioners of South Africa (POSA), a movement started by Chef JC and his wife, Calveen Edwards, after watching elderly family members struggle to get by each month. JC told the Cape Argus:

"The reason that we started this movement is because we have pensioners in our family and we see the struggles. These are the people that built our country..."

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SASSA Western Cape spokesperson Shivani Wahab acknowledged the hardships pensioners face but made clear that the agency has no authority over grant amounts.

Social Development MEC Jaco Londt pointed to existing support programmes, noting that the Western Cape Department of Social Development subsidises 54 NPOs managing 101 Community Nutrition and Development Centres, 64 community kitchens and 17 feeding sites across the province.

Older Person’s Grant eligibility and payment details

South Africans aged 60 and older may qualify for the Older Person’s Grant if they meet income, asset and residency requirements. Applicants must be citizens, permanent residents or refugees living in SA, not receive another grant or live in a state institution. The grant pays up to R2,400 monthly, increasing to R2,420 for those over 75.

View the Facebook post below:

Mzansi Backs the Pensioners

South Africans in the comments of Cape Argus' page were largely supportive of the demand:

Theresa Nakin said:

"I agree, the cost of living is a huge burden on pensioners, and increasing the old age grant to R5 000 a month will go a long way in supporting them."

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Graham Jehoma added:

"I agree… stop the R370 payments, create skills centres and jobs for the younger generation. Our pensioners deserve better treatment."

Ameen Williams wrote:

"This is what I always tell people, pensioners deserve 5k because they contribute to the county as well."

Eugene Howell view:

"Every grant is paid for by someone, it's not just a grant."

More Briefly News on pensioners

• SASSA’s Older Person’s Grant helps qualifying South Africans aged 60 and above with monthly financial support, with recipients receiving different payout amounts depending on their age.
• Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana revealed that some municipalities deducted over R1.7 billion from workers’ salaries for pension contributions but failed to pay the money into pension funds, putting employees’ retirement savings at risk.
• A Johannesburg pensioner lost more than R1.2 million in a WhatsApp scam after fraudsters used a fake airline promotion and stolen personal details to access her bank accounts.

Source: Briefly News