Treasury denies cutting grant beneficiaries to save money

Treasury: The National Treasury has dismissed insinuations from civil society groups that it’s cutting the number of grant beneficiaries to save money. Rather, it said it’s sticking to the law to ensure beneficiaries meet the eligibility criteria. Responding to calls to raise the old-age pension to R3,000 per month, the National Treasury said this will cost the State more than.

Felix ReevesPublished: Oct 31, 2026, 1:12 AM EDT

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Illustrative image: Treasury — Illustrative image. Photo: Pixabay / Pexels

Treasury, USA News: The National Treasury has dismissed insinuations from civil society groups that it’s cutting the number of grant beneficiaries to save money. Rather, it said it’s sticking to the law to ensure beneficiaries meet the eligibility criteria.

Responding to calls to raise the old-age pension to R3,000 per month, the National Treasury said this will cost the State more than R30 billion a year. The response followed public comments on the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) delivered by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana in Parliament.

Grant System Savings and Fraud Prevention

The National Treasury stated that a R13 billion savings in the grant system stems from a gradual decline in the number of beneficiaries as it roots out fraud in the system.