"Imagine Gauteng": Wealthy Stellenbosch Records Thousands of SRD Grant Recipients, Mzansi Reacts

• Stellenbosch is the Western Cape's wealthiest municipality, with an average home price of R2.6 million
• Despite its wealth, over 31 000 residents qualify for the R370 Social Relief of Distress grant
• South Africans reacted with surprise and scepticism to the stark poverty figures in Stellenbosch

Stellenbosch, the Western Cape's wealthiest municipality, is home to a hidden poverty crisis. While home prices average R2.6 million and climbing, tens of thousands of residents are barely scraping by.

A post shared by The South African on 7 October 2026 revealed that 31 020 Stellenbosch residents were receiving the R370 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant as of June 2026, up from the same period the year before.

Wealth and poverty side by side

According to the South African Revenue Service (SARS), the average taxable income in Stellenbosch is R451 000 per year. The municipality ranks among the 10 wealthiest in the country and sits 21.5% above the City of Cape Town, the province's second richest municipality. Stellenbosch's 36 475 taxpayers collectively earned R16.4 billion in 2025.

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Yet nearly a quarter of the adult population live just above the Food Poverty Line, earning just enough to qualify for the SRD grant. To receive it, applicants must prove they have no more than R624 in their bank account, and the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) only approves 46% of applications.

Education levels in Stellenbosch tell a more hopeful story. The 2022 census showed that one quarter of residents hold a higher education qualification, a significant jump from less than one fifth in 2011. Only 4 034 adults in the municipality have never attended school.

Crime trends in Stellenbosch

Despite the poverty figures, crime in Stellenbosch has declined over the past five years. In the main Stellenbosch police precinct, crime dropped 12.2% between April and June 2026 compared to the same period the year before, and is down 20.1% since 2016. Theft and drug-related offences remain the most common crimes. The Cloetesville area bucked the trend, recording a 6.3% increase in crime over the same period, with drug-related cases driving most of the rise.

View the Facebook post here.

Mzansi reacts to Stellenbosch poverty figures

Melissa Law wrote:

"And yet it's still the province with the least unemployment and most of the town still functions well... now let's visit the other provinces."

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Chris Jonker commented:

"How much are they getting in grants? Be thankful to have a job, many don't. If you have a job, at least you have the prospect of improving on it."

Randall Fairbairn asked:

"Shooo, so whose funding all the Nikes, iPhones and polo VWs at 1k per month?"

Joel Randeree noted:

"Unemployment and poverty exist in every city and town in South Africa. It's not the fault of the local municipality."

Hendrik Fouche added:

"Imagine the situation in Gauteng, Free State, Limpopo, North-West, KZN, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape..."

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Source: Briefly News