Finance Minister Says 2027 SASSA Grant Increases Will Be Announced in February Budget

2027 SASSA grant increases, Digi Mart USA News (South Africa): South African Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has given his latest response on 2027 SASSA grant increases, answering a written question in Parliament from MK Party MP Adil Nchabeleng, according to a report published by The South African.

The minister confirmed that recipients will have to wait until the February Budget Speech to learn how much the 2027 SASSA grant increases will be. He said the decision depends on affordability and priorities.

Godongwana said decisions on South African Social Security Agency increases form part of the wider 2027/28 budget process, and Cabinet must also approve all 2027 SASSA grant increases. He also rejected Nchabeleng’s claim that increases had usually been meagre or limited.

For reference, the majority of core SASSA grants rose by R85 a month in 2026/27, or 3.7%. They rose by R130, or 5.9%, in 2025/26.

The minister said: “Increases are informed by inflation, including food prices, but ultimately depend on the fiscal resources available, too.”

The report notes that SASSA beneficiary numbers are now falling. Applying the minister’s recent percentage figures to the current R2,400 SASSA Old-Age Grant, the article sets out three plausible scenarios, which are speculative rather than official.

An earlier look at Treasury’s budget trends points to an outcome somewhere between cautious and inflation-led. An increase of R100 would take the grant to R2,500, with the 75-and-over rate rising to R2,520.

The article cites Godongwana’s Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement, which revised revenue up by R17.1 billion and put the deficit at 3.9% of GDP. It estimates that every R100 added to the Old-Age Grant costs about R5.1 billion a year across 4.2 million beneficiaries.

The report concludes that no clarity should be expected before the February Budget Speech, with any increases taking effect, as usual, in April.