A Western Cape pensioner living on a fixed grant income reveals exactly how she rates SASSA, and it's not what you'd expect.
Fezile Mayekiso, a pensioner in her late sixties from the Western Cape, has been receiving the SASSA Older Persons’ Grant for between one and three years. Living in government-subsidised housing, she relies on the R2 400 monthly payment to support herself and one or two dependents, all while navigating South Africa’s rising cost of living.
Mayekiso’s biggest financial worry is the cost of living and rising food prices, a concern shared by millions of grant recipients across the country. Despite careful budgeting, she finds her R2 400 running out before the month ends. Basic items like bread, cooking oil and maize meal have all climbed in price, leaving pensioners like Mayekiso stretching a fixed income against a moving target. Still, her household has not gone without food in the past month, a sign of resourceful management under pressure.
Unlike many recipients who report frustration with the system, Mayekiso says she has never experienced problems with her grant payments or application process. Her money is deposited directly into her Capitec Bank account each month, a smooth and hassle-free arrangement. Asked about SASSA’s communication with recipients, she didn’t hold back her praise, saying the agency is doing “a sterling job” and describing the service as “very good and fruitful.” It’s a rare vote of confidence from a pensioner living entirely off her grant.
Despite her positive experience, Mayekiso admits she has never applied for any additional government support beyond her Older Person’s Grant, simply because she was unaware of what else might be available to her. It’s a gap that could be costing her and countless other pensioners access to supplementary help they may already qualify for.
Her previous experience in retail and customer service could still be useful, and she says she’d be willing to travel between five and twenty kilometres for work if the opportunity arose, even as a retiree now depending mainly on her grant.
If Mayekiso could change one thing about SASSA, she would increase the grant amount, a request echoed by many of the 18 million South Africans who rely on the agency’s support. Her story is a reminder that even satisfied pensioners are still just one price hike away from real strain.
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