State’s social grants and poverty alleviation: the case of city of Tshwane, Gauteng Province

Xolisa X. T. Magawana, University of South Africa

Literature reveals that low-income is but one of many contributing factors to growing poverty amongst poor households. Thus, poverty is manifestation of multidimensional deprivation – that is, hunger, under-nutrition, dirty drinking water, illiteracy, having no access to health services, social isolation, and exploitation. To mitigates the impact of poverty, the South African government has implemented numerous strategies with provision of social grants being one such poverty alleviation strategy. Other than poverty alleviation, social grants are also aimed at reducing income inequality. With the number of people receiving state’s social grants growing, the much often asked question in the backdrop of growing poverty and inequality is whether states’ social grants are effective mechanisms in helping poor households to meet amongst other, their basic social needs- food, education, etc. With reference to the background above, the paper aims to provide an analysis of the impact of state’s social grants on poverty alleviation.