Pensioners in the Spotlight As SASSA Grant Reviews Put SA’s Elderly Under Pressure
- SASSA's half-year report revealed that Old Age Grant recipients made up 55% of all completed administrative reviews
- Pensioners in the Western Cape face the greatest risk of losing their grants as property prices in the province have surged 38% over five years
- Rising costs of living are pushing more South Africans over 60 to re-enter the workforce or start businesses to survive
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The South African Social Security Agency appears to be zeroing in on one group above all others in its grant review process: the country's pensioners.
According to SASSA's half-year report, Old Age Grant recipients accounted for 55% of all completed administrative reviews by the end of June 2026. Pensioners were also the group most likely to have their grants suspended when a review could not be completed, making up 54% of those suspensions. When it came to suspensions linked directly to means testing, the figure climbed even higher, with pensioners representing 73.7% of those affected.
What the means test requires
To qualify for the Old Age Grant, beneficiaries must meet two conditions: an income limit and an assets cap. A single pensioner cannot earn more than R9,350 per month from any source outside the grant. For couples, the combined income ceiling is R18,700 per month. On the assets side, pensioners cannot hold property, investments or retirement annuities worth more than R3.16 million in total.
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These thresholds are creating particular pressure in the Western Cape. Property values in the province have risen by 38% over the past five years, with the average home now valued at R1.8 million as of September 2026. That figure alone consumes more than half of the allowable asset threshold. Despite having a pensioner population comparable to KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, the Western Cape has nearly half the number of Old Age Grant beneficiaries of either province.
Pensioners struggling to keep up
The financial strain on older South Africans extends beyond the grant review process. According to FNB's Retirement Insights report, 74% of South Africans over 60 say the cost of living in retirement is higher than they anticipated. Healthcare costs came as the biggest shock, followed by housing expenses and unexpected emergencies.
Those in lower income brackets are bearing the heaviest burden. The same report found that 44% of lower-income retirees say retirement is going worse than expected. As a result, many are looking to supplement their income by returning to work or starting small businesses, a trend that could ironically put their grant eligibility at further risk if their earnings push them above the income threshold.
The Old Age Grant is the only grant category the government projects will see increased spending, yet the data suggests the agency is applying its most intense scrutiny to that very group.
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More on South African pensioners and SASSA grants
- Briefly News recently reported on pensioners protesting outside a SASSA office for higher grants, with senior citizens calling for increased monthly support.
- A hidden bank cost could be quietly reducing the value of foreign pensions received by South African retirees, according to currency experts.
- SASSA is introducing digital services, including WhatsApp support and self-service kiosks, in a bid to reduce long queues at its offices.
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Source: Briefly News
