Latest News & Developments
Sassa urges gold card beneficiaries to apply for alternative banking options following Postbank black card suspension.
South African grant recipients say the R130 increase to old age pensions is insufficient as inflation and VAT hikes erode their purchasing power. Economists warn that while social grants remain a lifeline for millions, political deadlock between ANC and DA within the Government of National Unity threatens long-term solutions to poverty.
The arrests were a result of a meticulous investigation, which revealed that the suspects had been withdrawing large amounts of cash from over 150 fraudulent Sassa and bank cards at a Shoprite supermarket in Soweto in February.
With the deadline for Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana's budget approaching, political tensions escalate as the ANC and DA clash over proposed VAT increases. Experts warn of severe consequences if consensus is not reached.
SASSA beneficiaries are granted a two-month extension to swap their gold cards for Postbank's black cards, but the deadline looms. Act now to secure your grants before May 2025
The South African Post Office has distanced itself from assisting Post Bank card holders, leaving millions of social grant beneficiaries in a critical transition period. Find out what this means for you.
Social grant recipients must transition to new Postbank cards to avoid disruptions in accessing funds, as SASSA gold cards will no longer be accepted after the March 20 deadline.
With 28 million South Africans dependent on social grants and unemployment at 31. 9%, experts and civic organisations warn that the R284. 7 billion welfare system is unsustainable without urgent economic reforms and job creation initiatives. Here's why the transition from social dependency to economic growth is crucial for South Africa's future.
Rural pensioners surviving on R2,190 monthly grants warn that Treasury's proposed 2% VAT increase would devastate their already stretched budgets, forcing impossible choices between food, medicine and transport.
IOL went to the streets of Johannesburg to hear first-hand accounts from people on their financial struggles that an increase in VAT would have on their lives.
Discover how South Africa's Cabinet is addressing land reform, US aid cuts, and security challenges.
The ANC government has made a habit of promising more than the country can afford. With this latest controversy over a proposed two-percentage-point increase in VAT, the maths is simply not mathing, writes Lee Rondganger.
Treasury documents released on Wednesday showed that a 2% VAT increase would have injected R58 billion into the fiscal, which Godongwana said would have been used to fund the immediate projects including the revitalisation of the public railway system for the benefit of the poor and working class, hiring and retaining teachers, doctors, front line workers and other public servants, while also capacitating the government’s early childhood development programmes
The government has backed off and delayed the switch over of Sassa cards