The Black Sash and the South African Council of Churches are deeply concerned over the growing number of emotive media articles claiming that young mothers receiving the Child Support Grant are “drinking away the money", “feasting on extravagant meals” and “shopping until they drop for new clothes.”

We strongly believe that these alleged incidents are isolated, unrepresentative and largely anecdotal, and are not indicative of a widespread culture of grant abuse in South Africa. Marcella Naidoo, Black Sash National Director, says “the argument that teenage mothers are using the paltry monthly amount of R210 provided by government to 'buy alcohol and clothing' and go on 'gambling sprees' is not only deeply insulting to these vulnerable young women but also doesn’t make economic sense. How can you possibly enjoy ‘the good life’ – as some of the reports claim - on just R210 a month, especially in these tough economic times?“

Rev. Keith Vermeulen, Director of the SA Council of Churches Parliamentary Office, agrees that the time has come for “the old moralistic argument - that young recipients of the grant are bound to misuse the money – to be exposed for what it really is – myth and prejudice. The real danger of this kind of argument is that it casts more blame on an already vulnerable group of citizens - the poorest, rural girl child - and thereby becomes the basis of denying the most vulnerable their Constitutional right to dignity and social security. “

Both the Black Sash and the SA Council of Churches support the statement made earlier this week by the Chief Director of Social Assistance, Thabo Rakoloti, that “there is no evidence to suggest that grants were being misused.” As he points out, a recent study commissioned by the Department of Social Development showed that “the grant was associated with increased school attendance, decreased child hunger, and increased labour force participation.”

This research is backed up by many other studies, including one in June this year by the respected organisation CASE (Community Agency for Social Enquiry), which provides evidence that Child Support Grant beneficiaries are more likely to attend crèche or preschool than non-beneficiaries in the same age group and that food formed the largest category of expenditure across all groups studied, but was higher among those eligible for the grant.

The Black Sash and the SA Council of Churches continue to believe that social cash transfers are a vital and empowering element of any meaningful attempt to tackle our biggest national crisis – poverty. Not only are they essential if we are to meet our constitutional obligations to our most vulnerable citizens but together with skills development and job creation, facilitate the realisation of economic, social and political rights for all our people by including everyone as active members of society.