Question NW571 to the Ms A S Hlongo
28 March 2023 - NW571
Hlongo, Ms AS to ask the Ms A S Hlongo
How will her department and/or the SA Social Security Agency administer, apply and implement the top-up amount in the case of caregivers of orphaned children who are beneficiaries of the child support grant?
Reply:
The Child Support Grant Top Up (CSG Top Up) is targeted at two categories of children; they are:
- Orphans in the care of relatives; and
- Orphans in child-headed households in terms of s137 of the Children’s Act.
The CSG top up is not a new grant. Instead, it builds on the existing Child Support Grant (CSG), complementing it, by increasing the amount allocated to orphans in the care of relatives and orphans in Child Headed Households (CHH).
In order to receive a CSG Top up, an application needs to be lodged at any SASSA office or via the SASSA online platform.
The following persons can apply for a CSG Top Up:
- A child heading a household who is aged between 16 and 18 can apply for and receive the child support grant for him/herself as well as receive the CSG Top Up for the children under his/her care.
- A caregiver, or relatives of orphans taking care of orphaned children can apply for the CSG Top Up;
- CSG Top up applicants are subjected to the means test, where the applicant’s income and /or his/her spouse is considered.
The following requirements need to be adhered to in order to qualify for a CSG top up:
- Relatives will need to provide proof that they are related to the child.
- Applicants need to provide proof that the child is an orphan by producing:
- A death certificate/s of the child’s parents or
- An affidavit attesting to their lack of knowledge as to whether the child’s parent is dead or alive.