Uncertainty is cast upon several South African pensioners as SASSA announces the delay of the May 2025 Old Age Grant. While initially expected in the early-May days, the payments are now pushed to much later dates, which are simply too late for the recipients who rely on this monthly income to put three meals on the table.
Charting New Payment Dates
Start dates for the usual payments to flow, as stated by SASSA, have shifted to May 9 in May 2025. Earlier it should be the first week, but now it is no longer such. The reason for the delay has been claimed to be a system upgrade to have an efficient and secure disbursement of grants.
Public assurance that all beneficiaries would receive their payments was given by an SASSA official; however, such late payment leaves the aged citizens concerned.
Beneficiaries should check grant status online or via SASSA’s official communication for province-based schedules and information.
Threats to the R130 Boost from VAT Proposal
The other source of uncertainty is the increased anxiety with respect to the imposition of VAT, which puts in a serious jeopardy the R130 increase recently granted to the Old Age Grant. This increase was granted in April to serve as relief to pensioners against rising cost of living, but a VAT increase later in the year will completely defeat this purpose.
Economists and advocacy groups argue that increasing VAT on necessities will negate the intention of the grant increase to provide relief. To many elderly citizens, whose monthly budgets are already stretched tight over food, medication, and transport costs, even a minuscule increase in VAT would shrink their purchasing power.
Public Reaction and Government Response
Already it garnered critique from social welfare activists while the VAT ed imminent proposal continues: that the poor must not carry the weight of economic policy shifts. In other words, people are basically asking the government to make sure that essential goods aren’t hit by this VAT increase and that social grants aren’t delayed for another minute.
SASSA has called for some measure of tolerance, assuring the upgrading of systems as a mechanism for long-term improvement of service. Yet pressure mounts, demanding that the upgrading process does not continue hindering the lives of vulnerable recipients.
Here comes May, delaying pensioners all over South Africa, awaiting not just for the delayed payment but also for some form of clarity on how much the new R130 boost will ever make a difference to their pocket.