Results of social grants survey show more need to increase grants
We conducted a survey to understand and find out if the problems are new or if grant recipients have experienced the same with other social grants.
November 27, 2024
We conducted a survey to understand and find out if the problems are new or if grant recipients have experienced the same with other social grants.
We are doing the Member Survey because we want to hear from amandla.mobi members like you, what issues should we prioritise in 2024, and what actions can we take together to force decision-makers to act? If you have 5 minutes to spare, please take our 2024 member survey.
We ran the member survey last year to get an understanding of who makes up our members, where they are are located and what makes them members of amandla .mobi. These responses then give us a chance to set an agenda that we all collectively decide on. So far most of the campaign actions from this year were shaped by the results of the member survey.
The moment has arrived!! We are super excited to announce our 2023 campaigner fellows, who are (From Top Left to Bottom Right) Palesa Ndlovu, Celokuhle Radebe, Natasha Mhlanga, Ritza Mandleni, Queen Mdluli and Minothando Hlanganyana.
Our members have highlighted barriers to applying for the grant, non-payments, delays with appeals and poor communication from Sassa. Ahead of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State
The people, not profit, should govern. But some big businesses have used their power to influence decisions.
On Thursday, 4 August 2022, members of the amandla.mobi community protested outside the Presidential Social Sector Summit in Boksburg. Protesters demanded that the Department of Social Development urgently fixes R350 grant problems because Sassa had stopped paying the grant to millions. They also highlighted barriers to applying for the grant, non-payments, delays with appeals and poor communication from Sassa. Holding huge letters and placards, protesters also communicated their demand to turn the R350 grant into a Basic Income Grant funded by taxing the rich.
On 1 October 2021, we launched a survey to gather the necessary evidence to expose the main problems and show SASSA that they must act.
For years we have campaigned for social grant increases. But it’s not just the amount of money that is not enough, there are lots of problems applying for and receiving social grants. amandla.mobi is not connected to SASSA or DSD and cannot help each person with their problems getting their social grant.
But what we can do is come together and demand SASSA address issues with social grants. But we need evidence. That’s why we’re asking people to share their experiences by completing our survey.
Together we helped force President Ramaphosa to bring back the R350 grant. But the grant was not increased, and many people are still having problems getting the grant.
We are a small NGO, so we cannot help each person get it. But what amandla.mobi can do, is demand that SASSA fixes the problems people are having. We need more information about these problems to show SASSA that they must urgently act. That’s why we’re asking members of our community, people like you, to share your experiences by doing our survey.
The government’s response to COVID-19 has laid bare a number of truths that existed prior to the start of the pandemic: high levels of inequality and high levels of unemployment (currently at 30% and projected to increase to 50%).
Mobile network operators should zero-rate local news sites during this crisis. Potentially life-saving information should be available to everyone, even if they cannot afford to pay to access it.
We are educators in the post-school education sector across South Africa. We have come together in various fora over the past month to discuss principles, practices and possibilities for learning and teaching in South Africa during and after the COVID-19 Global Disaster.
Vodacom took a step in the right direction when it announced that it would be dropping data prices from the 1st April and this price reduction is only the first one.
From protesting outside the high court, completing ICASA’s submissions, the slashing of the out-of-bundle rates by Vodacom in October 2017, the ICASA end-user regulations implemented and the Competition Commission’s ruling on mobile network operators dropping data prices by 30% to 50%. Below is is a full timeline of the Data Must Fall Campaign.
*Update* Thank you to all our members and partners. Together we submitted over 170,000 public submissions calling for a NHI that works for the people.
*Update* Thank you to all our members. We raised over R35,000 for Casual Workers Advice Office.
One of amandla .mobi’s partners, the Casual Workers Advice Office (CWAO), had their offices looted and burnt on the night of Monday 2 September [1]. This is a major blow to an organisation that has stood side by side with casual workers to fight for dignity, by providing organising support and free legal advice. Just last year they won a Constitutional Court victory against labour brokers, to ensure better wages and benefits for workers [2].Our friends at CWAO have vowed to not let this attack stop their work. But they have lost things very important for their work like computers, printers and furniture. We have worked closely with CWAO on many important campaigns and thanks to them, we’ve secured countless victories for worker’s rights. As amandla .mobi member we can make sure our friends at CWAO continue to make an impact by chipping in R20 each here: https://www.givengain.com/cc/cwao/ or follow the work of CWAO on Facebook. If all of us give as much as we can, it will go a long way. Together we can help rebuild the CWAO office and support their work against xeno/afrophobia.
The major mobile networks have already claimed that load shedding, which they have no control over, will have a negative impact on reducing the cost of data. However, consumers should not pay the price especially with regulations in place that should be protecting them from not getting value for money this way.
Time for serious investment in old-age pension grantBy Koketso Moeti * This op-ed piece was originally published by Daily Maverick. As members of Parliament descended
