No apologies: Finance Minister Tito Mboweni told reporters following his Budget speech on Wednesday that while government appreciated the urgent need for social spending and relief interventions, he made no apologies about the pressure that economic realities placed on this spending.
Budget reduced: According to the Budget Review, over the Medium-term Expenditure Framework period, the social grants budget is reduced by 2.2%. In addition, all grant values will increase by less than inflation, while the number of beneficiaries is expected to increase by 300 000 people.
The details: The Budget Review stated that total social grants had been reduced by R5.8 billion in the 2021/22 financial year, R10.7 billion in the 2022/23 financial year and R19.5 billion in the 2023/24 financial year.
