Despite full-time employment, a Western Cape resident supporting multiple dependants finds that government assistance barely touches the surface of daily expenses.
Thembile Ngqulana knows what it means to work hard and still fall short.
Approaching her fifties, Ngqulana lives in the Western Cape where she balances full-time employment with the responsibility of caring for between three and five dependants.
Received government assistance
For more than five years, she has received government assistance to help bridge the gap between her income and her family’s needs.
Despite holding down a job, Ngqulana regularly struggles to make ends meet.
Her grant money goes directly towards food and groceries, the most basic of necessities. By month end, nothing remains.
This reality reflects a harsh truth facing millions of working South Africans who find that even employment cannot guarantee financial stability in an economy where the cost of living continues to outpace wages.
SASSA grant support fails to cover basic needs
Ngqulana’s situation highlights a growing phenomenon in South Africa.
The working poor represent a significant portion of grant recipients. These are individuals who have jobs but still cannot earn enough to support their households without additional assistance.
With unemployment exceeding 32 percent nationally, those who do find work often accept wages that fall far below what is needed to sustain a family.
The Western Cape, alongside Gauteng and KwaZulu Natal, accounts for the majority of grant recipients in the country. Approximately 18 million South Africans depend on SASSA grants to survive.
For Ngqulana, the assistance she receives forms a critical part of her household budget, even though it fails to stretch far enough to cover all expenses.
Living in a shared family home helps reduce some costs. However, supporting multiple dependants on a combination of wages and government assistance remains an enormous challenge.
Food security is a constant concern, though Ngqulana confirmed that her household does have enough to eat.
This small mercy stands in contrast to many recipients who face genuine hunger despite receiving grants.
The hidden cost of accessing SASSA services
One significant burden Ngqulana faces is the distance to SASSA offices. She must travel more than 20 kilometres to access services. This journey represents both a financial and logistical strain.
Transport costs can consume a meaningful portion of any assistance received. Time spent travelling is time away from work or family responsibilities.
For those living far from urban centres, this barrier compounds the difficulties of an already challenging situation.
When asked what SASSA could improve, Ngqulana had a clear answer.
She wants the organisation to fix its app and website. Digital services could eliminate the need for costly trips to physical offices.
They could streamline applications and reduce the frustration many recipients experience. Currently, technical problems force many users to make unnecessary journeys, adding expense to an already stretched budget.
Ngqulana rated her overall experience with SASSA as adequate. She reported no major problems with the application or payment process itself.
She also noted that she did not qualify for any additional support beyond her current grant. Her primary concern looking forward is unemployment, a worry shared by millions across the country who fear losing what little income security they have managed to build.
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