Kraaifontein Pensioner Turns R350 SASSA Grant Into a R20,000 Micro-Farm

• Nicky Jafta, a 60-year-old Kraaifontein resident, started farming during the COVID-19 pandemic with only his SRD grant money
• He used his first grant payment to buy half a pumpkin and a few seeds, beginning with just 30 square metres of backyard space
• Jafta now farms on more than two hectares of state-owned land and still qualifies for his monthly SASSA Old Age Grant

A 60-year-old pensioner from Kraaifontein in the Western Cape has turned a R350 government grant into a working micro-farm that now earns him R20,000 a year.

Nicky Jafta was unemployed and living entirely off the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Rather than spend the money on immediate needs alone, he used part of his first payment to buy half a pumpkin and a small packet of seeds. That purchase, made in a 30-square-metre backyard patch, became the foundation of what is now a two-hectare farming operation.

Read also

"Please make the building actually colourful": Abandoned Cape Town hotel gets 130-unit makeover

From backyard patch to two hectares

With approval from the Western Cape Department of Social Development, Jafta expanded his garden onto state-owned land. He now harvests more than 500 pumpkins each year and sells his produce directly to local buyers through WhatsApp and TikTok. His annual turnover sits at roughly R20,000, supplemented by his monthly R2,400 SASSA Old Age Grant.

Along the way, he completed a Backyard Food Garden Training certificate through the South African Institute for Entrepreneurship, giving his operation a more structured foundation.

SASSA rules he stays within

Jafta's income falls comfortably within SASSA's means test limits. Single applicants may earn up to R112,200 per year and hold personal assets valued at up to R1,584,000 while remaining eligible for the Old Age Grant. His farm earnings sit well below that ceiling, meaning he keeps both his grant and his business.

The road has not been without setbacks. His uninsured bakkie was stolen last year, which pushed up his transport costs significantly and made getting produce to market more expensive.

Read also

“Give them their dignity”: SA woman compares pensioner grant to R5.1bn spent on foreign prisoners

Still, Jafta's story offers a practical example of what is possible within South Africa's social support system. At a time when the average cost of living for a single person in the country runs between R20,000 and R27,000 a month, his model of growing supplemental income from the ground up carries real weight for other grant recipients looking for a way forward.

More on SASSA and pensioners

• Briefly News recently reported on nationwide pickets outside SASSA offices, with pensioners demanding their monthly grant be increased.
• A Johannesburg speaker's viral comparison between what South Africa spends on foreign prisoners and the pensioner grant sparked outrage.
• A foreign woman was allegedly caught at a Pretoria SASSA office using a suspected fake South African ID to apply for a grant.

Source: Briefly News