POSA Urges Pensioners to Take a Stand for a R5,000 Monthly Grant Increase

• Pensioners of South Africa (POSA) organised nationwide pickets outside SASSA offices on Monday, 7 September 2026
• Demonstrators are demanding the Older Persons Grant be raised from R2,400 to R5,000 to cover basic living costs
• Government officials acknowledged pensioners' financial difficulties but cited budget constraints as a barrier to increases

SOUTH AFRICA — Pensioners have staged coordinated pickets outside South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) offices across the country that will take place on Monday, 7 September 2026. They're calling on the government to more than double the monthly Older Persons Grant.

The demonstrations will be held between 12:00 and 14:00 and organised by civil advocacy group Pensioners of South Africa (POSA). The group's central demand is that the current monthly grant of approximately R2,400 be raised to R5,000 to adequately cover essential expenses including food, electricity, water, housing, transport, and medicine.

POSA calls current grant a dignity issue

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POSA argued that the existing grant level is insufficient to meet even the most basic monthly needs, with pensioners in Gauteng, Durban, and Cape Town pointing out that staple grocery items alone, such as a loaf of bread and milk costing roughly R40, quickly erode what little they receive. Many older citizens are forced to rely on financial support from adult children to survive each month.

The organisation framed the demand as a matter of fundamental human rights, contending that older South Africans, who spent decades contributing labour, taxes, and service to the country's economy, are now being denied a dignified standard of living. POSA described the planned gatherings as peaceful and called on government leadership to stop treating the elderly as a demographic that only receives attention during election periods.

Government points to budget constraints

Government officials have acknowledged the financial difficulties facing pensioners but have pointed to budget constraints and the need to balance public finances as reasons why further increases have not yet been implemented.

POSA urged the state to review and restructure social support frameworks so that elderly citizens are not placed in a position where they must choose between food, electricity, or shelter in any given month.

More on the cost of living and pensioners

• Briefly News recently reported on a pensioner whose personal budget revealed just how far short the SASSA old-age grant falls when rent alone is factored in.
• A South African finance professional's payslip sparked a nationwide debate after revealing just how much of their salary disappears in deductions.
• A retired woman who turned her pension payout into a thriving tax-free income stream, earning tens of thousands a month.

Source: Briefly News