Social welfare programmes in South Africa

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South Africa has one of the most extensive social welfare systems among developing countries in the world.^[1] In 2019, an estimated 18 million people received some form of social grant provided by the government.^[2]

Social welfare programmes have a long history in South Africa.^[3] The earliest form of social welfare programme in South Africa is the poor relief distributed by the Dutch East India Company and the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) in 1657.^[4] The institutionalised social welfare system was established after the British occupied the Cape Colony in 1806.^[5]

However, the social welfare system focused mainly on poor whites and excluded blacks.^[5] Under apartheid, the social welfare services for Africans, Indians and Coloreds were separated from that for whites.^[4] The allocation of social welfare resources favoured whites.^[5] The post-apartheid government launched the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) in 1994 and published the White Paper for Social Welfare in 1997 to establish the framework of social welfare system in post-apartheid South Africa.^[4][6] They were aimed to address racial disparity in the delivery of social welfare services.^[4] Growth, Employment and Redistribution (GEAR) was launched in 1996 in response to the 1996 currency crisis.^[5] GEAR reduces government's spending, leading to the shrinkage of social grants.^[5] Social assistance, including grants and public works, is funded through tax revenue, unlike statutory and voluntary funds that are funded by employers and employees.^[7]

Social welfare programmes in South Africa include cash assistance, unemployment insurance, medical provisions, and housing subsidies. Cash assistance is distributed by the South African Social Security Agency on behalf of the Department of Social Development of South Africa (DSD). The cash assistance programmes that are currently available include the Child support Grant, the Foster child Grant, old-age pension, disability grant, care dependency grant, and war veterans grant.^[8]

There are both support and criticism regarding the social welfare programmes in South Africa. Supporters argue that grants such as the Child Support Grant and the old-age pension improve the nutrition status and school enrolment rates of poor children.^[9][10] However, critics points out corruption and maladministration in the social welfare system and the poor quality of RDP housing.^[11][12]