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Grandparents could stand to lose their monthly foster grant of R770 to care for their grandchildren. Last week the Johannesburg High Court ruled that grandparents should no longer qualify for foster grants as they have a legal obligation to support their grandchildren. More than 300 000 grandparents could lose access to monthly grants as a result of the ruling.

I will today write to the Chairperson of the Social Development Portfolio Committee, Yolanda Botha, to request that she call Minister Dlamini before the Committee to clarify how she intends to ensure that grandparents will be safeguarded if they lose access to the grants.

Grandparents taking care of orphaned grandchildren are already financially overburdened. This ruling will have devastating implications for grandparents whose only income is their monthly R1200 old age grant.

The ruling is likely to increase the number of orphaned children who will end up in children’s homes. A reply to a DA parliamentary question revealed that it costs on average R2 200 per child per month to take care of children in state-run homes – three times as much as the R770 foster care grant.

The Minister’s vague proposal to introduce a kinship benefit to assist those dependent on the grants must be clarified. Clear targets and values of this benefit must be outlined, as well as time frames for implementation. She should also stipulate what interim measures will be taken to assist former grant recipients until the new benefit is introduced.

Minister Dlamini and the CEO of the South African Social Security Agency, Virginia Peterson, are responsible for providing comprehensive social security services to our most vulnerable citizens. They must take rapid and decisive action to ensure that those affected by this ruling receive the support they require.