‘Pension must be equal to minimum wage’: Pensioners say they are being left behind
· The South African
A growing chorus of voices on The South African‘s Facebook page is reframing the SASSA Old Age Grant debate, not as a welfare question, but as a matter of basic equality. Pensioners, they argue, face the same costs as everyone else. Yet they receive a fraction of what even a minimum wage worker earns each month.
Andrea Kruger put the argument plainly in her Facebook comment, drawing a direct comparison between pensioners and the working population.
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“Pension must be equal to minimum wage,” she wrote. “How can you expect the elderly not to have the same costs as workers especially when they need more healthcare? They still pay rent and still need to eat.”
The cost of growing old in South Africa
The South African national minimum wage currently exceeds R4 000 per month across most sectors. The SASSA Old Age Grant pays R2 400, less than half that amount. Yet pensioners face identical expenses: rent, food, electricity, transport and medical costs. Many also support grandchildren or other dependents on the same fixed income.
Josephine Schmal laid out those competing demands on The South African‘s Facebook page, pointing to hospital visits, prescription costs, grandchildren in the home, and rates and taxes as expenses the grant simply cannot cover.
Nola Van Loggerenberg went further, arguing in her Facebook comment that R3 000 would still not be enough. She said the pension should be raised to between R5 500 and R6 000, noting that a single room already costs R3 500 to rent before electricity and food are factored in.
Calls for structural change
Sheena Subhan used her Facebook comment to argue that government’s grant priorities are misplaced, saying old age and disability grants should take precedence over other social relief programmes.
Carol Mintoor proposed a different kind of relief, no rates and taxes on property for pensioners, combined with discounts on basic foods.
Maria Ndayi framed the issue as one of political will rather than fiscal capacity.
“If they can loot millions, why not increase our grannies’ and grandpas’ money?” she wrote on Facebook.