The backlog and system failures at DHA do more than delay documents; they have real consequences for children and families. Some of the most affected are children with one parent born in South Africa and another from a neighbouring country such as Lesotho or Botswana. These children are often trapped in a legal limbo, as DHA may require DNA testing before registration, with costs ranging from R750 at public laboratories to between R1,400 and R 2,800 at private accredited facilities [5][6][7]. A mother from Lesotho shared her experience of trying to register her seven-year-old son, who has a South African father: “I have spent months trying to get my son’s birth certificate. DHA says we need DNA tests, which I can’t afford. He missed school last term, and I feel powerless.” This story highlights the human cost of systemic failures, leaving children invisible and deepening inequality. It is a story experienced by many South Africans: whether in rural or urban areas, families are often forced to navigate complex bureaucracy, sometimes facing discrimination or delays simply because of where their children were born. These barriers violate children’s constitutional rights to access government services and information [7]. We call on Minister Dr. Leon Schreiber to act now by : • Implementing a public-facing tracking system for birth registration applications, allowing caregivers to monitor the status of pending applications in real time, including updates via online platforms, SMS, or USSD for those without internet access. • Providing dedicated support for digitally excluded caregivers, through local clinics, libraries, community centres, and DHA help desks, where staff can assist families in completing registrations and accessing government services without needing online access. Every day without action is another day a child remains invisible. As Home Affairs prepares to roll out AI-powered self-service kiosks, we must ensure these efforts prioritise children and communities who have waited the longest. Sign this petition to demand immediate action from Minister Schreiber. Together we can end the backlog, fix Home Affairs’ broken systems, and ensure every child is recognised and able to claim their rights!! Home Affairs must deliver reliable services for all! References 1. Conviction. (2025). Locked out of childhood: Home Affairs birth registration backlog. https://www.conviction.co.za/locked-out-of-childhood-home-affairs-birth-registration-backlog/#google_vignette  2. News24. (2023) Key internet penetration goal almost met in SA, 2022 Census reveals. News24, 13 October. Available at: https://www.news24.com/news24/tech-and-trends/news/key-internet-penetration-goal-almost-met-in-sa-2022-census-reveals-20231013  3. GroundUp. (2025, June 17). Home Affairs has left a quarter of a million people waiting years for birth certificates.https://www.groundup.org.za/article/home-affairs-has-left-a-quarter-of-a-million-people-waiting-years-for-birth-certificates/ 4. OpenSignal. (2023). Rural-urban digital divide in South Africa. https://www.opensignal.com/2023/12/13/rural-urban-digital-divide-still-poses-a-challenge-in-south-africa 5. AFP. (2022). Fact-check: DNA testing costs for child registration in South Africa. 6. GENEdiagnostics. (2024). Legal DNA testing services. 7. Legal Resources Centre. (2025, June 18). Court challenge over delays in child birth registration.https://lrc.org.za/court-challenge-over-massive-delays-in-child-birth-registration/

According to BBC, South Africa became the first country to ban the sale of skin lightening creams that have hydroquinone, that was in 1990[1]. Because we are the first country to ban creams with hydroquinone we should be leading the fight against harmful skin products, but that is not the case because many black women are still suffering the consequences of using harmful skin products, especially illegal skin lightening products. SAHPRA has a list of their responsibilities on their website[4], one of those resposibilities is ensuring that unregistered health products are removed from the public but, how can the public know when a product is illegal if SAHPRA doesn't list them on their website? According to SAHPRA’s section 21, certain unregistered products are allowed to be sold, how can we tell whether an unregistered product is authorised to be sold or not? SAHPRA has a list of registered health products on their website, it should be easy for them to have a list of products we should be wary of. Such transparency will allow people to make informed choices, it will help prevent the sale of dangerous skin products and also protect people’s health. The Guardian reported that skin lightening products are linked to cancer in black women, melanin found in black people protects the skin against sun damage and when they use illegal skin products they remove the protection they had against sun damage[2]. Despite regulations in place, Daily Maverick shared that South Africa's market of illegal skin lightening products is growing and the products are not only sold by informal vendors in shops but also online, quoting platforms like eBay, Takealot, Facebook and many more[3].  SAHPRA has the power to let people know what skin products are illegal, but they are choosing to turn a blind eye and instead, they tell us to report illegal health products. How can we report illegal products when we can’t even identify them? this negligence is putting more and more people’s health at risk because not everyone can identify illegal health products, a lot of these products are sold online, SAHPRA must evolve, catch up and utilise the internet to name and shame these products by publicising a list, inspect, raise awareness and share information. Let's come together by signing this petition, tagging South African Health Products Regulated Authority(SAHPRA) on all their social media platforms and also visiting their website and tell them that we want a list of illegal skin products, we see their incompetence, we don’t like it and we won’t tolerate it anymore. [1] How South Africa banned skin lightening creams, BBC, July 3 2020 BBC Audio | Witness History | How South Africa banned skin-lightening creams   [2] Colonial ideas of beauty: how skin lightening products are linked to cancer in black African women, 30 July 2025, Kat Lay. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/30/colonial-beauty-skin-lightening-products-linked-cancer-black-african-women   [3] Skin lightening whitewash: Global and domestic bans of cosmetics containing Mercury prove to be skin deep, Tony Carnie for Daily Maverick, 15 February 2022. https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2022-02-15-skin-lightening-whitewash-global-and-domestic-bans-of-cosmetics-containing-mercury-prove-to-be-skin-deep/  [4] SAHPRA’s Regulatory Compliance, Unit Responsibilities List. https://www.sahpra.org.za/inspectorate-pharma-licencing-and-regulatory-compliance/ 

Africa Day is not just a date in the calendar; it is the heartbeat of our liberation story. On the 25th of May 1963, African leaders came together to declare that the future of the continent could no longer be dictated by foreign powers, but by Africans themselves. This unity gave birth to the Organisation of African Unity, the predecessor of today’s African Union. Without this collective effort, many nations, including our own, might still be under the chains of colonial rule. Recognising Africa Day as a national holiday honours that history, but also reminds us of the power of unity in the present. In South Africa, our freedom was not won in isolation. We received support from our African neighbours, sanctuary, training, weapons, and solidarity, which kept the liberation struggle alive. Yet today, many South Africans are not taught the significance of this sacrifice, nor the deeper meaning of Pan-African identity. By making Africa Day a national holiday, we ensure that every citizen, young and old, learns that our liberation is part of a greater African story. It will build pride in our shared identity and foster much-needed unity in a country where divisions still run deep. This campaign matters because history shows us that when citizens demand recognition, decision-makers listen. Public holidays are not simply days off work; they are powerful symbols of what a nation values. If enough South Africans raise their voices, the government will be forced to act. By signing, supporting, and spreading this campaign, we place public pressure on leaders to align South Africa with the rest of the continent in honouring Africa Day. Public demand transforms symbolic proposals into national commitments. Most importantly, Africa Day as a national holiday is not about the past alone; it is about the future. It is about ensuring that South Africa takes its rightful place as a champion of Pan-African unity, that our children grow up understanding the value of ubuntu, and that our country recommits to the African Agenda 2063: building a peaceful, prosperous, and globally influential Africa. By joining this campaign, you are not just demanding a holiday; you are demanding pride, unity, and a collective African future.

The eThekwini municipality is FAILING communities in high-risk flood areas. Since April 2022, floods have been intensifying with over 450 lives lost [1] and thousands of homes destroyed [2]. This all could have been avoided. The municipality is supposed to, under the Disaster Management Act of 2002 [3], establish frameworks for disaster relief to ensure the prevention of the loss of life. The current framework is very weak and does not spell out what residents should do in the event of a flood; it does not speak to the assembly points in flood zones and the communication processes that the municipality plans to communicate with residents to alert them about a possible flood. The only thing the municipality has done is to sign an MOU with NGOs and the private sector, which promises that they will work together in the event of a flood. It does not specify how the municipality plans to evacuate or house people.  It is clear, should there be a flood tomorrow, the municipality would not be ready and hundreds of lives would be lost and severely disrupted. Areas such as eMlazi, eManzimtoti, Queensburg, Malvern, and Chatsworth were some of the badly affected areas in the 2022 floods.  Therefore, we want to know: What is the current framework for evacuating people in eMlazi, eManzimtoti, Malvern, Queensburg, and Chatsworth? What are the assembly points in these most affected areas? Where do you plan to house families that have lost their homes and belongings in the event of a flood?  How does the municipality plan to communicate with these communities to alert them of the flood?  We want a report within 30 days that answers the above questions.  Climate change is here to stay, and we will continue to feel it more and more intensely. That is why governments and municipalities need to be proactive in dealing with the effects of flooding and avoid the unnecessary loss of lives. Sources: [1]  KZN Floods Emergency Response – Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF South Africa), accessed 26 August 2025. URL: https://www.msf.org.za/kzn-floods-emergency-response [2] Des Erasmus, 2022, Ramaphosa vows comprehensive KZN recovery effort, zero corruption tolerance. [Online] Daily Maverick. Available at: Ramaphosa vows comprehensive KZN recovery effort, zero corruption tolerance Ramaphosa promises a hard line on KZN emergency disaster relief corruption [Accessed 26 August 2025].  [3] Disaster Management Act 57 of 2002. (South Africa), Disaster Management Act [online]. Available at: South African Government website (gov.za). Available from:  https://www.gov.za/documents/disaster-management-act [Accessed 27 August 2025].

Every one of us relies on clinics — whether for ourselves, our children, our elders, or our neighbours. But too often, clinics don’t work the way they should. Patients wait for hours. Medicines are out of stock. Buildings are broken. Staff are overstretched. And communities are left out of the conversation. That’s where Clinic Committees come in. Clinic Committees are made up of community members who volunteer their time to help improve clinic services, hold health authorities accountable, and make sure everyone’s voice is heard. They are supposed to be the bridge between the clinic and the community — but right now, many of them are being ignored, under-supported, or even shut out. There is no strong national policy that protects their rights or gives them the tools they need to do their work. We know that when Clinic Committees are active and supported, clinics work better. Staff and patients talk more openly. Community health challenges are addressed faster. Real change happens from the ground up. That’s why we’re demanding that the Minister of Health adopt a clear national policy to define, support, and protect Clinic Committees across the country. We’re building a people-powered campaign to show that Clinic Committees matter — and that communities demand a voice in how public health is run. If thousands of us sign and share this petition, the Minister will have to act. Add your name and help show that health governance belongs to all of us — not just a few behind closed doors.

ArcelorMittal South Africa is one of the largest steel producers in the world and among the oldest to have caused harm in communities near its large steel mill. Therefore, we expect them to address the harm they have caused and ensure that no further damage occurs to the communities they operate in after their exit. According to the National Environmental Management Act and other trade legislative frameworks, a plant of the industrial magnitude of AMSA plants in this case is required by law to exit properly, undergo rehabilitation, and carry out outstanding compensations, which will include proper compensation of workers and ensuring that they do not leave the communities they are in in industrial ruin[4]. VEJA is seeking public support to demand proper Exit Plans from ArcelorMittal SA, ensuring Restorative Justice at all costs. ArcelorMittal Group makes billions of dollars annually without supporting its operations in the Global South, even though it has invested in better technologies to meet international standards and comply with the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive. We call on the giant corporation to act voluntarily and adhere to international standards. If ArcelorMittal SA closes down, let them do so by the law. If enough of us sign this petition, we can put enough pressure on Arcelor Mittal to commit to publishing its exit plans. References 1. ArcelorMittal South Africa says on course to close long steel plants in September by Engineering News, 31 July 2025 https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/arcelormittal-south-africa-says-on-course-to-close-long-steel-plants-in-september-2025-07-31-1 2. Just Transition Framework by the Department of Treasury, https://pccommissionflo.imgix.net/uploads/images/22_PAPER_Framework-for-a-Just-Transition_revised_242.pdf 3. Activists push dirty steel giant ArcelorMittal SA to stop pollution and accelerate transition to green steel by Centre for Environmental Rights, 12 May 2022 https://cer.org.za/news/activists-push-dirty-steel-giant-arcelormittal-sa-to-stop-pollution-and-accelerate-transition-to-green-steel#:~:text=ArcelorMittal%20South%20Africa%20(AMSA)%20remains,finance%20even%20their%20mediocre%20commitments. 4. National Environmental Management Act https://www.gov.za/sites/default/files/gcis_document/201409/a107-98.pdf 

We call on you, President Cyril Matamela Ramaphosa, Minister of International Relations and Cooperations, Ronald Lamola, and the Government of South Africa, to cut all diplomatic ties with Israel and shut down the Israeli embassy in South Africa. You have rightly brought a case of genocide against Israel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), so you have determined Israel is committing genocide. How then can we continue to have diplomatic and economic relations with that genocidal state?    We, as a country, and all who live here are tainted by maintaining diplomatic relations with the Israeli regime that is committing such barbaric acts with such callous inhumanity.    Cutting off diplomatic ties with Israel has already been approved by the Parliament of South Africa. Our elected representatives in Parliament voted on Tuesday 21 November, 2023, by 248 to 91 to close the Israeli Embassy in Pretoria and suspend diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv.   Since that Parliamentary vote and the filing of the genocide case with the ICJ, the atrocities committed by the Israeli regime have only multiplied. There can be no more business as usual and no normal relations with a state that is committing genocide, multiple war crimes, slaughtering children (deliberately with bombs and targeted sniper fire), bombing neighbouring countries, raping and abusing thousands of political prisoners who are held with no charges, enforcing a racist system of apartheid in the illegally occupied Palestinian territories and now also intentionally starving to death the Palestinian population of Gaza.   Israel has killed more United Nations workers in Gaza than in any other conflict in the history of the organisation. More journalists have been killed in Gaza than in both ‘world’ wars. The war crimes committed by Israel include destroying hospitals, clinics, schools and universities. Health workers have been killed including doctors, nurses, and red cross workers who in almost all previous conflicts have been allowed safe passage to provide life-saving support to injured people from all sides. Israel has blocked food, water and humanitarian aid from getting in to Gaza. And then, under the guise of providing “aid”, Israeli Occupation Forces lure hungry Palestinians into shooting allies where hundreds are being murdered while simply trying to get food in order to stay alive.    Enough is enough. From our history of struggle against apartheid in South Africa we know how important it is that crimes against humanity are not normalised and that the regimes that commit them must be isolated. Having ended apartheid in South Africa we cannot continue to cooperate with the Israeli regime that is imposing apartheid in Palestine. As our first democratically elected President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela stated, “we are not free until Palestine is free”. Let us not be the ones to fail him by letting down Palestine.  Let us be the country that respects the call of the Palestinian people, the ICJ and the United Nations General Assembly to end all complicity with the genocidal state of Israel.   President Ramaphosa, Minister Lamola, and the Executive Branch of Government, end all diplomatic ties with apartheid Israel now! References Parliament votes to cut diplomatic relations with Israel:L https://www.parliament.gov.za/press-releases/national-assembly-adopts-motion-suspend-diplomatic-relations-israel  South Africa brings case of the crime of genocide against Israel in the International Court of Justice: https://www.icj-cij.org/case/192  World Health Organisation confirms people in Gaza are sick and dying as Israeli blockade continues: https://www.who.int/news/item/12-05-2025-people-in-gaza-starving--sick-and-dying-as-aid-blockade-continues Israeli organisation confirms Israel is committing genocide in Gaza: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-07-28/ty-article/.premium/for-the-first-time-israeli-human-rights-groups-say-israel-is-committing-genocide-in-gaza/00000198-50f1-de88-a9d8-5bf31b1e0000 More UN workers killed in Gaza than any other conflict in its history: https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/06/1164086#:~:text=%E2%80%9CMore%20than%20one%20in%20every,others%20while%20shielding%20the%20vulnerable.%E2%80%9D  More journalists killed in Gaza than any other conflict: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/4/2/gaza-war-deadliest-ever-for-journalists-says-report#:~:text=More%20journalists%20have%20been%20killed,report%20published%20on%20Tuesday%20found   UN body says states face defining choice on genocide in Gaza: https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/05/end-unfolding-genocide-or-watch-it-end-life-gaza-un-experts-say-states-face  International Court of Justice finds that Israel is implementing an illegal system of apartheid in occupied Palestine: https://www.icj-cij.org/case/186  

MacG’s show has a massive youth following. When harmful views go unchallenged, they normalize abuse. Your brand’s silence, or continued sponsorship without action, sends the wrong message. But your voice can help reshape culture and create safer conversations • This campaign isn’t about censorship – it’s about accountability and care. GBV is not a joke. Silence is not neutral. And brands can no longer pretend not to see the harm done in their name. By calling on the podcast to prioritize monthly content on GBV, consent, and gender justice, Nike, Nestle , Standard bank and many more can: • Align sponsorship with their own brand mission and values, • Help shift how young men understand masculinity and accountability, • Support content that protects,not harms,women and families, • Show the public it listens and leads with integrity. GBV thrives in media spaces where harm is minimized or mocked. Why Sign? •Because GBV, misogyny is not entertainment. •Because brands must fund solutions-not silence. •Because youth deserve content that educates, not harms. By signing this petition, you’re demanding that popular culture becomes part of the solution -not the problem.  You’re calling on powerful companies to use their influence responsibly, and you’re standing with survivors who deserve platforms that respect their stories and struggles. #SponsorsActNow #ChillersforChange Let’s call them in -not out - to be part of the change South Africa needs. Reference list: Podcastandchillnetwork.com. (2018). Podcast and Chill Network – Africa’s #1 Podcast Network. [online]  Available at: https://www.podcastandchillnetwork.com/.  Mphande, J. (2025). ‘Enough is enough’ — Women For Change slams MacG’s remarks about Minnie Dlamini. [online] TimesLIVE. Available at: https://www.timeslive.co.za/amp/tshisa-live/tshisa-live/2025-05-02-enough-is-enough--women-for-change-slams-macgs-remarks-about-minnie-dlamini/ [Accessed 3 Jul. 2025]. Ngwako Malatji (2025). Minnie Dlamini takes MacG to Equality Court and demands R2.5m. [online] Sunday World. Available at: https://sundayworld.co.za/celebrity-news/minnie-dlamini-takes-macg-to-equality-court-and-demands-r2-5m/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR6oU_hKTlLXoydxMY5xcWF6cvDrPQyliWgSLzMwsJMD3bngN1l9wPKZDumNJg_aem_sul7p0xg1SBgC2MpHwVf1A [Accessed 4 Aug. 2025]. Natasha (2021). Amanda Du Pont takes legal action against MacG – KAYA 959. [online] KAYA 959. Available at: https://www.kaya959.co.za/amanda-du-pont-takes-legal-action-against-macg/ [Accessed 3 Jul. 2025]. Ngwako Malatji (2024). Nkosazana Daughter sues MacG for R13m. [online] Sunday World. Available at: https://sundayworld.co.za/celebrity-news/nkosazana-daughter-sues-macg-for-r13m/ [Accessed 3 Jul. 2025]. TSHISALIVE (2025). ‘It is a damaging reinforcement of gender-based disrespect’- Moja Love condemns MacG’s derogatory language. [online] TimesLIVE. Available at: https://www.timeslive.co.za/amp/tshisa-live/tshisa-live/2025-04-29-it-is-a-damaging-reinforcement-of-gender-based-disrespect-moja-love-condemns-macgs-derogatory-language/ [Accessed 3 Jul. 2025]. Deputy Minister Mmapaseka Steve Letsike on utterances by Macgyver Mukwevho toward Minnie Dlamini on Podcast and Chill which constitute online gender-based violence | South African Government. [online] Available at: https://www.gov.za/news/media-statements/deputy-minister-mmapaseka-steve-letsike-utterances-macgyver-mukwevho-toward. Graye Morkel (2022). MacG apologies to Ari Lennox for problematic questioning: ‘I’m not a malicious person’. [online] News24. Available at: https://www.news24.com/life/arts-and-entertainment/celebrities/macg-apologises-to-ari-lennox-for-problematic-questioning-im-not-a-malicious-person-20220202-2 [Accessed 3 Jul. 2025]. The Mail & Guardian. Available at: https://mg.co.za/friday/2022-02-08-macg-is-leading-the-wave-of-misogynistic-podcasts/

We all need daily access to nutritious, safe, affordable and fresh foods, including nutritious meals, and this should not be just for the privileged few. We need effective food and nutrition standards that make nutritious food the norm, not a luxury. Bold policies are required to limit the reach and influence of the Food and Beverage industry, by restricting the advertising, promotion, and sponsorships of unhealthy foods on our campuses. We also call for food packs that are distributed on our campuses by various stakeholders, including the food industry, to be filled with nutritious food items that help us meet our dietary needs and support our well-being.  Access to nutritious food is a basic human right, but many students across the country are unable to exercise this right. Affordable and nutritious food is beyond the reach of most students. Every day, there are thousands of students who struggle to eat a single nutritious meal while others do not eat at all. Thousands of students are left with no choice but to eat unhealthy foods that are nutritionally poor.  Thousands of students are expected to make do with cheap and quick unhealthy foods and snacks from vendors inside and outside campuses. And the effect is that this lack of affordable, nutritious food on campus is compromising our academic performance and health.  According to Section 27(1)(b) of South Africa’s Constitution, every person has the right to access sufficient food and water. Yet, on our campuses and in many of our communities, that right remains unrealised for countless students due to socioeconomic conditions and limited access to healthy, safe and affordable food. Studies show that over 60% of university students in South Africa face food insecurity [1]. These are not just statistics; they are everyday stories of missed meals, diminished focus, and delayed dreams. Together this is shaping a generation facing the long-term consequences of food insecurity and ill-health.  However, it does not have to be this way.  As a university leader, YOU hold the power to shift our campus from a state of mere survival to an environment where students can truly thrive and grow holistically.  As Fix My Food, we are calling on university leadership to commit to meaningful dialogue with students to co-create solutions that ensure heathier food environments for all students. We are asking leadership to adopt the Fix My Food Campus Commitment to engage with students and commit to improvements in the campus food environment over the next 12 months that ensure: • Access on campus to healthy, affordable, nutritious foods every single day.  • Effective food and nutrition standards that make nutritious food a reality.  • Policies that restrict advertising, marketing, promotional events and provision of unhealthy foods to students on campus. As Fix My Food Advocates, we are asking the leaders of South African universities to stand up for food justice by creating and ensuring heathier campus food environments for all students. By signing onto the Fix My Food Campus Commitment, you are not just investing in student well-being; you are upholding a fundamental human right guaranteed to every individual in South Africa.  Let us work together to build a country where access to affordable, nutritious food is not just a dream but a reality for all students.  References [1] Higher Health 2021-2022 Annual Report: https://higherhealth.ac.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2021-22-annual-report.pdf  Please help us take a step closer to healthier campus food environments by completing a short survey about your campus food environment. Your experiences and insights will be used to further shape and strengthen the call for meaningful change. Follow this link to share your voice: https://wa.me/27832838313?text=FOOD To learn more about the Fix My Food movement, please visit: www.unicef.org/southafrica/fix-my-food

Food date labelling may seem like a technical detail but in South Africa, it has real-life consequences. Every day, tons of perfectly edible food are thrown away simply because the labels are unclear. Meanwhile, millions of South Africans go hungry. A fragmented system of “Best Before,” “Sell By,” and “Use By” dates leaves people confused, cautious, or manipulated. What’s meant to protect consumers ends up doing the opposite - wasting food, enabling profiteering, and putting lives at risk. By demanding a single, unified expiry label, clearly stating “Safe to Eat Until”—we are not just calling for regulatory reform but we are standing up for food justice. This is about protecting health, respecting dignity, and making sure people are not misled by technical language that benefits corporations more than citizens. It's about giving ordinary South Africans the power to make informed choices without interpreting the jargon of food science. Governments and regulatory bodies may ignore isolated complaints but they cannot ignore a groundswell of united voices. When enough of us demand clarity, safety, and fairness, decision-makers will have no choice but to act. Join this petition to say: confusion is not protection, waste is not justice, and honesty should not be optional. Let’s change the system; one honest label at a time.

It is important for Home Affairs to understand that they are dealing with actual people’s lives. This is a life-altering case and was supposed to be treated like one. Officials must act fairly, lawfully, and in alignment with our constitutional principles. The Minister and the DG must be ashamed for even allowing this case to get to court.  References [1] https://groundup.org.za/article/judge-slams-home-affairs-for-unintelligible-illogical-babble-in-gay-case/ [2] https://mg.co.za/article/2016-09-13-homophobic-home-affairs-officials-government-sanctioned-discrimination/  [3] https://www.sahrc.org.za/index.php/sahrc-media/news/item/428-home-affairs-supports-petition-against-homophobic-pastor  [4] https://za.boell.org/en/2018/10/11/double-challenge-lgbti-refugees-and-asylum-seekers-south-africa 

Beneficiaries of the old age grant, child support grant, disability grant, and care dependency grant are being unfairly punished for Sassa’s incompetence in ensuring that the social grants system works as it should.    Since 2022, social grant beneficiaries have experienced various issues getting their grants, from system glitches to delayed payments [1] that left beneficiaries stranded. More recently, Sassa released a number of media statements stating that some beneficiaries would need to undergo biometric tests for identity verification [2] and later that grants for over 210,000 people would be delayed in June 2025 [3].  Sassa also claimed to have contacted beneficiaries who would need to present themselves at their offices for identity verification. However, some recipients who have experienced difficulties have not received any form of communication from Sassa. Sassa continues to be unreachable and provide confusing, inaccessible information. They continue ignoring emails asking for clarity and do not take phone calls. Now, the National Treasury has ordered Sassa to use the unfair and exclusionary SRD grant regulations on the social grants system [4]. Taking lessons from the SRD grant regulations, we know that many people have been unfairly denied the grant because they received small amounts of money from friends and family members, which Sassa would then classify as a ‘source of income’. The current qualifying threshold for the grant is R624, but even if a person receives a lesser amount in their bank accounts, they still get declined for the grant for that month.  In January 2025, the Pretoria High Court ruled the regulations unconstitutional and invalid in a court case brought by the Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) and #PayTheGrants [5]. If the SRD regulations are used on the social grants system, many people will be kicked off grants, even if they qualify. Social grants will remain a necessity for as long as our people continue to suffer in poverty. Join the campaign to demand dignified lives for those who cannot access economic opportunities and support themselves and their families. [1] Sassa payment problems fixed, Postbank says, Garth Theunissen for Business Day, 7 November 2025. [2] Mandatory biometric verification for Sassa clients without standard ID numbers, Shonisani Tshikalange for TimesLive, 29 April 2025. [3] Over 200,000 social grant beneficiaries flagged for fraud by SASSA, June payments delayed, Simon Majadibodu for IOL, 2 June 2025. [4] Budget: Changes ahead for R370-a-month SRD grant, Marecia Damons for GroundUp, 21 May 2025. [5] Explosive court ruling on SRD grant, Marecia Damons for GroundUp, 24 January 2025.